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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

If you got here before reading my first book, Lithe, go back and read that story first.

If you have already, Welcome to Book 2!

This book will take place from Iron Man 3 to Captain American: The Winter Soldier. We have a lot of things to do in this book and I'm excited to truly play around with Becca and Steve's relationship and add more people to this universe.

Here is a quick synopsis of what to expect of Impulse coming in January of 2019!

There was only a few days left to celebrate a year that everything changed for Becca. In more ways than one. But now her father, Tony, has threatened a terrorist leader and even has so much as given him their home address. Leaving the Father and Daughter to fight for the lives of those closest to them.

Becca begins looking more into her past. She starts uncovering clues and will bring her face to face with a person she thought she'd never meet. While a relationship that she wasn't expecting starts to blossom between herself and Steve.

And Steve had fallen back into action. The super soldier quickly suits up alongside Becca and Natasha in SHIELDs STRIKE unit. While Becca is about to be called in for her new job, she quickly is realizing the role was given to her by the enemy.

Ghosts from everyone's past our starting to make themselves known as the world they live in is crumbling around them. Who's going to burn in the fire and who's going to walk out to tell the tale.

Thank you again for all the support through this process.

Please Review:Follow:Favorite: All that Jazz!

ALSO MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW MY TUMBLR (FANGEDLOVERS) FOR MY REBECCA!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Spokes – Jetty Bones

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story so far!

I can't believe we're officially here at Book 2. Lithe was such a big thing I took upon, and now to continue this story is something I really didn't think I would do. Ever. But I am and it's all thanks to every single one of you who read this story and have been supporting.

So…Here we go!

Spokes

Listen close, listen in

The wind is trying to talk to you

To warn you that the warmth will be leaving

While you're soundly sleeping it off

You can try to speak

You can try to move forward

But your hands won't work on the rocks

They'll slip

Your grip has become toxic to progress

December 15, 2012

The cold air ran deep in her chest as she took a deep breath. It was a smell of wet dirt and a hint of possible snow in the air. The damp Earth soaked into her jeans as she kneeled, gloved hands digging at the ground. She finally placed the grave blanket in the center; a mix of white and red flowers surrounding a red bow in the pine needles. The sight was all but perfect against the grave stone. It would only be better if the grave wouldn't have to be there at all.

Becca Stark rose to her feet, wiping off the knees of her jeans to the best of her ability. She knew she should have brought a blanket along but her mind was worried about the florist. This was the fourth grave blanket she had ordered. The first three had not been what she ordered. It might have been just the perfectionist in her, but the man deserved the absolute best. The fourth was perfect. Exactly what she wanted.

The last time she visited the grave was right before Thanksgiving. Steve had accompanied her for the visit before the two flew out to California to celebrate with her family. Times before that was sometimes with Natasha when she had been passing through New York, more often than not by herself. At first it had always ended with Becca crying but now, six months later, she was able to get by with each passing visit. She couldn't feel him there though, and that was concerning her. She desperately wanted to feel his spirit near her as she sat on the ground, but nothing ever felt right. The guilt hanging in her mind that because it was her fault he was in the ground she wasn't worthy enough to feel him with her.

The dancer shook her curled locks at the dangerous thoughts lingering, knowing this wasn't a time to grieve. This was her Christmas moment with him. But as the breeze picked up around her in the cemetery, it was anything but welcoming. It was frigid and harsh against her uncovered skin. Almost telling her to leave now, that she wasn't wanted there anymore. An ache thundering in her chest.

Finally her words found the air, knowing it was time to leave. "Merry Christmas, Phil."

Without a second look, Becca started her pace back up to the road where the taxi had waited for her when she arrived. It was a simple offer of a massive tip and him knowing it was the young Stark, an easy venture to get him to do so for her. She fell into the backseat and quietly told him her final destination. Eyes slowly watching as each street they passed it began to get busier and busier the closer they came to the inner city as rush hour was upon them.

Becca was a summer child, there was no way anyone could say different than that. The girl wore shorts until she physically couldn't stand the numb feeling in her legs anymore from the cold weather. But she loved the look of her city in the winter time. More lights than normal lighting up each street, colors dazzling her hazel eyes along with decorations. It was a madhouse in the center though. Families and Tourists coming from all over the world for a getaway to enjoy the frigid city at the holidays. It was a different type of atmosphere in New York with each season that passed by. Especially now that the city was back up and running to its full potential since the attack back in May.

The cab slowly pulled over to her destination and Becca gave him a 'Happy Holidays' and a nice tip for his time. She pulled her beanie further down on her head and hitched the bag higher on her shoulder as she started her walk in the crowd. It was so easy this time of year to get lost in the faces and not have to worry about people looking for her everywhere she went. The young Stark ducked into a liquior store as she was a few blocks from her apartment, grabbing a few bottles of wine for a night in between her best friend, Eve, and herself. They were going to take part in their annual tradition of drinking too much wine, attempting to bake cookies and gorge themselves with Chinese food in front of the tv while Christmas movies played in the background.

The plastic bag dug through her gloves at the weight of the bottles as she walked the last bit to her apartment building. The sun had already hidden itself for the evening, allowing the bright lights from the buildings shine out. Becca gazed up to the top floor on the right side, seeing her lights were all on. The sight not surprising her in the least. She punched in her security code, knowing Eve had done so already and made herself at home in the apartment. A few months back when her landlord decided to put a security system in she was all about it, but that of course led her to tell her code to only two other people who seemed to spend more time in her home than their own.

With a quick grab of her mail, Becca started her track up the stairs, smiling at a few passerby's on the way. Holiday decor was placed on some doors as she passed, the building in a good spirit. Her own door at a simple wreath placed on the wood, something she had made up herself each and every year. With that and the Christmas music that was funneling through the cracks in her doorway, her mood from about an hour ago slowly easing off her shoulder.

"It's a wonderful feeling, feel the love in the room from the floor to the ceiling! It's that time of year, Christmas time is here!"

Becca shook her head with a giggle at the sound of her best friend singing, or yelling, the words of the boy band song. A classic if you asked Eve Radler. And said girl seemed to hear her come in as she came out of the kitchen, spoon in hand, as she finished the *NSYNC chorus as a microphone. The blonde girl never having an ounce of hesitation.

"Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!" Eve finished with a spin on her heels that one would no doubt see any band do in the 90s early 2000s.

"Glad to see you started without me." The brunette placed the bag on her table before starting to pull her winter clothing off, instantly warming up in the heated apartment.

"Couldn't help it, I was getting antsy." Eve licked some cookie batter off her finger that she pulled off the spoon. "And I had some helping hands."

"Cora here?" Becca hung up her coat, hearing movement on the other side of the kitchen that she couldn't see.

"Nope, we're done."

The words had her stopping in place and wide eyes at her best friend. "Again?" It wasn't uncommon that Eve and her girlfriend, well now ex-girlfriend, had been on and off for almost the whole year. But it was a surprise since they had only gotten back together about two weeks ago.

"It's whatever," Eve shook her head, pushing the conversation away and grabbing her arm, "you've got a surprise!"

It's very rare for Becca to actually be surprised by something, but Eve was true to her words as she was dragged into the kitchen. Her eyes not expecting to see what was in front of her. In more ways than one.

"Steve!"

Said man, looked up at her with a crooked smirk on his face from where he was cutting out sugar cookies on the counter. "Surprise."

"Told ya." Eve nudged her ribs with her elbow, her own smirk at seeing her best friend glued to the spot at her reaction.

"I-I thought you weren't due back 'til Monday?" Her words stuttered, truly not expecting him to be standing in her kitchen when he was supposed to be in D.C.

Steve shrugged, wiping his hands on the towel Eve had given him to use. He was pleased with her reaction, happy he actually got to surprise her for once since she was always the one to do it to him. "Got done early. I broke nearly every record at the Academy, so there wasn't much more for me to do."

It was true from the first day he stepped in to SHIELD Academy. He had been going down to DC periodically since their vacation at the end of June, beginning of July, to do a bit of training. It was his own decision, truly wanting to learn more of martial arts and different forms of combat and stealth. Wanting to add that to his own repertoire of skills. This time had been the longest he had been there, leaving a few days after Thanksgiving and had been gone since.

"You guys are awkward as hell." Eve joked, turning to the oven to pull out a pan that was done.

Becca rolled her eyes before taking the last few steps towards him, quickly standing on her tiptoes to give him a hug in greeting. He quickly returned it, finally a few months before feeling comfortable in this situation. No longer anxious or overthinking her hugs of greeting. That went with the times she would hold on to his arm or take his hand to drag him somewhere. Infact, it became so normal that it was more awkward if she didn't.

The smaller girl was just beyond happy to have him back. Though she had been busy herself that past few weeks with working on a case with Natasha, but his presence in her life had just been becoming an obvious at this point. So, as she breathed in his usual scent of cinnamon, leather, and something that was just Steve, Becca could finally rest knowing Christmas was officially upon them all and they could rest for the time being.

"Wait a minute!" Becca's arms fell from Steve's shoulders, turning back to her friend with squinted eyes. "You're not getting out of this that easy."

"Told ya." Steve gave his own critique of the blonde, turning back to his task at hand.

Eve sighed, moving the chocolate chip cookies from the pan to the cooling rack. "I lie, you both are awkward. You're equally annoying as hell."

Becca and Steve glanced at each other with an exaggerated eye roll at the comment. "So you're okay?" She moved back out of the kitchen to grab the discarded bag of wine.

"More than okay. I'm fine! Honestly, she was driving me crazy about meeting her family and what not. It's like calm the fuck down, we're not that serious."

The young Stark didn't quite believe her, but she wasn't one of push Eve until she broke. If she did that, the blonde had no hesitation to claw her way right back. Personal experience. "Well I'm here…"

"I know." Eve nodded with a sigh. "I think I'm gonna take a break from girls and try guys out again. Men are as demanding, right Steve?"

Said guy rose his eyebrows at her question directed at him, clearly was happy just to keep his head down and work. "I refuse to answer that comment."

"And with doing so you did anyways."

"You walked right into that one." Becca murmured, setting his own glass of wine down next to him.

"Four walls with no exit in sight." He finished the cookies and took a sip of the alcohol.

"You know for being Avengers you guys suck at whispering." Eve relayed, changing the slow song that just started playing through the speakers. "You know what," she cocked her head to the side as something came to play in her head, "instead of my love life, I'm going to focus on your guys' instead."

"Excuse me!" They both exclaimed, Becca nearly spitting the wine out of her mouth.

"What? You both desperately need to go on some dates," Eve explained with a shrug. "So for 2013, my resolution is to focus for on my friends love life."

Becca set her glass back on the counter, practically feeling Steve's anxiety radiating off of him. "Please, for the love of everything, just focus on your own. I beg of you."

"Oh, don't be such a sour sport." Eve took a deep drink of her wine. "You both need some fun in your life."

"I think we have a very different definition of fun, Eve." Steve spoke up, but the blush was still red on his neck.

The blonde girl ignored him and started singing Jingle Bell Rock at very high volume instead.

"You know I met him once."

Becca's neck nearly snapped as she turned from the TV to Steve next to her. "You did not?"

"Swear." Steve laughed around the word at her wide eyes of shock and disbelief.

"You met Bing Crosby? For real?"

"For real. He's a very nice man."

After finishing up the cookies, Steve, Becca, and Eve had their Chinese food delivered and settled down in the sofa to get carried away in Christmas movies. Becca and Eve trying to decide on the best ones for Steve to get caught up on first since he missed out on so many greats. But now it was just the two of them still watching, as Eve fell asleep somewhere near the ending of It's a Wonderful Life, head resting in Becca's lap. The next movie up was White Christmas, Becca's personal favorite since she was a kid.

"You're so casual about it." Becca whispered, not wanting to wake Eve up. But with the heavy amount of cookies, food, and wine she consumed that night the blonde was dead to the world. "He's a damn legend."

Steve gave a shrug, fingers playing with the lip of the wine glass. "Celebrities were looked at differently at that time." He thought about it for a second, remembering the meeting between the two. "Actually, he was the one that came to meet me."

"Really?" She absolutely loved with he would tell her things from his past because she knew it was always such a big step for him. And that the trust between was just strengthening with time. "At one of your USO show's?"

He nodded, turning his body slightly to rest against the arm rest to look at her. "He came to one of the shows here. It was just a really great experience cause I would listen to him on the radio when he was just starting out. Despite the whole show I was doing every night, I did get to meet some really great people."

"Bet all the ladies were falling all over you." Becca joked, getting the blush she was so good at finding on his neck.

"Cute."

"I know, I'm down right adorable." This got him to chuckle this time. She looked back at the screen before turning down to see that Eve was still passed out on her lap. "So, how was D.C. really?"

"It was honestly fine." Leaning forward, Steve placed his now empty glass on the coffee table. "I'm supposed to be meeting with Fury on Monday to see what exactly is next for me."

She nodded, fingers playing with Eve's blonde locks. "Your coming to STRIKE, right?"

"That's what we're going to discuss. Think you and Natasha are up for it?"

"I think you two might kill each other." Becca laughed but it was partially serious. Steve and Natasha were similar but had opposite point of view on things. They both had a tendency to become extraordinarily serious and ready for a fight, and then other times light hearted and sarcastic at best. Yet, they both had different positions on when each was allowed. "But it'll be good to have some new strengths."

"I visited Peggy a few times," his hands tracing the fabric of her coach, "she thinks I'm overthinking it. And yes, yes I know you feel the same." He countered back quickly at seeing her eyebrows raised in an 'no shit' way.

"Why do you think you have to prove yourself all over again?" The question came out before she even had a chance to register what she said. It took her by surprise by how blunt the words were, but Steve seemed to have taken it better than even she did.

"Because it's still a new world, Becca. And I'm a soldier, not a spy like you. Different mindsets. And if I'm going to be on a mission with you or Natasha or anyone for that matter, I want to know that I'm up to speed on what would be needed for me to help. Not to hold anyone back."

She looked down, nodding her head. She understood that mindset because it was very similar to her own. She always made sure she could hold her own so she was putting a teammate in danger. It had happen once in the past, her eyes almost x-ray vision through her jeans where the scar still sat for the arrow that had one time been lodged into her leg. It was her recklessness that had her lose Coulson, and she wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Well, still, I'd be happy to have you on our team. Hell of a lot better than Rumlow." Finding a way to bring easiness back into this conversation. "I am glad you're back though."

"Did you wallow in self-pity without me here." He gave her a dark smile.

She rolled her eyes, going to flick him but he grabbed her hand to hopefully stop the abuse. It did, allowing Steve to drop their hands on his leg. "You are okay company to keep."

"I think I'm the best company you keep." Steve squeezed her hand.

"I think that's bullshit." Eve mumbled, still half asleep, getting a laugh out of both of them.

December 17, 2012

"You call this acceptable? Jesus Christ, how did any of you even pass the Academy?"

Becca rolled her eyes at the sound of Brock Rumlow's deep voice floating around the room towards her. It was filled of annoyance and anger, which was honestly the normal for the head of STRIKE. For once though those built up emotions weren't directed towards her. She took a glance over her shoulder from her pace on the treadmill to see the man standing on the side of a group of new recruits.

STRIKE hadn't taken on anyone new since Garrett and herself have been named part of the team. But now with Steve most likely joining and the growing threats for SHIELD in the world, Fury believed it was best to find some new members. Especially since Clint was on indefinite hiatus.

She had talked with Clint only a few nights before, and from the sound of it he was more anxious than ever. He certainly was enjoying his time at him with the family but his farmhouse seems to be turning into a never ending project. She was sure the kids were over the moon that their father was spending time at home for once, however Laura was hoping for something to get him out of the house, or what was left of it.

"He's truly digging into them." Garrett said, coming to stand in front of her machine.

"If you can handle Rumlow you can handle anything." Becca agreed, bringing her running down to a jog and talk to him. "You helping with the recruits?"

"When he starts eliminating some. That's even if this batch makes in anywhere through the training." He used the towel on his shoulder to soak up some sweat on his forehead from his own workout. "How was Nepal?"

"False call." She explained, thinking back to the supposed mission Natasha and her had gone on the week before. "People should really stop faking alien intelligence. It's a headache and too much paperwork for me." They had heard word that some of the Chitauri weapons had found their way over to Nepal so Natasha and her went searching, and all they found was some fake equipment and teenagers looking for fame.

"You poor thing." He gave her a heavy frown just to play off her annoyance.

"Truly tragic. My pity party will be taking place tonight at 8pm."

Garrett shook his head, hands resting on the top of the treadmill. "So, you got plans for New Years?"

She hesitated at the question, one that it was still weeks away and two because of the weird relationship the two had been playing with since they made up in the summer. His usual flirting had came back, but Becca didn't know how she truly felt about it anymore. "Oh, I don't know yet. Might still be back home with my dad for Christmas."

"Well if you find yourself back in the city, maybe we can meet up."

"Oh, yeah, maybe." She responded nicely, but her eyes were focused on Natasha who had just walked into the gym behind him. The redhead could see the apprehension on her face from across the way and knew why from the guy standing in front of her.

"Bex! Come spar with me!"

Natasha's loud voice gained the attention from any in a close vicinity, especially the recruits who had yet to notice either Avenger in the room with them. Becca slowed the treadmill down to a stop before hopping of it. "I'll talk to you later." She gave Garrett a quick smile before grabbing her water bottle and taking the path over to the mats Natasha had laid out. "Try to be louder next time." She jabbed, taking a deep drink of water, still feeling people's eyes staring over at them.

"That's the thanks I get for saving your ass." Natasha started to stretch out her arms. "You should fall to my feet."

"It wasn't that bad at the beginning, but then…" The brunette broke off, sitting down on the mat to stretch her legs from the run.

"But then?" Her friend sat down across from her, eyebrows raised towards her hairline. "Don't leave me hanging on that."

"He asked what I was doing for New Year's Eve and I got tongue-tied."

"You know there's this crazy thing you could do, like tell him your not interested."

Becca rolled her eyes, exhausted with this conversation that they have been having for a very long time. "Garrett's just a flirt. I'm probably reading into it way too much."

"Famous last words." Natasha stretched her legs almost into a split. "Word is the Captain will be working with us."

"That's what I've heard." She watched her counterpart closely at the conversation. "How do you feel about that?"

"He ain't Clint."

"No one's Clint."

"But," Natasha crossed her legs just to sit, "I think it'll be good."

"You sure about that?" Becca rose an eyebrow at the neither here or there attitude.

The other woman rolled her own eyes this time. "Yes, Rebecca. Don't worry, I won't embarrass you in front of your other boyfriend."

She groaned, falling flat on her back hearing Natasha laugh at her dramatic self. The redhead was about to annoy her some more before a loud buzzing took over the room, before it changed to an off key tune. Everyone in the room looked up at the multiple TVs sitting at the top of the walls around them.

Becca's blood ran cold as she watched images of war and death flashed across the screen, with a blood red image of the terrorist organization, Ten Rings, symbol. It was so quick if you weren't watching intently you would miss it. But it all sunk in as the leader, the Mandarin, spoke eerily through the screen. He explained that their ninth bombing of the year had occurred, the first happening on April 1st and there had been every month after that. This time though the bombing took place at the Ali Al Salem Air Base.

"I don't understand why we aren't informed, just to get a step up on this." Becca whispered, eyes still locked on the screen.

Natasha sighed, eyes not wavering either. "Because the government fears less of what they don't know."

This is the starting of Iron Man 3! This is going to truly put Becca & Steve through a test.

Please Review:Follow:Favorite: The more reviews, the quicker the next chapter!

ALSO MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW MY TUMBLR (FANGEDLOVERS) FOR MY REBECCA!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Words, Hands, Hearts - Yellowcard

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story so far!

Just take this chapter away from me! This was uploaded way later than I wanted it to be. But we're here! Have fun?...idk

Words, Hands, Hearts

The whole word is watching with one blank stare
I can just sense this feeling of ill-repair
Like no one's heart is full enough to keep away this fear
And no one's heart is strong enough to fix what happened here

December 20, 2012

"Is this a joke?"

"Becca…"

"No, come on, this can't be real."

"You know, I came here for your support."

"And you will fully get it once I'm done letting the ridiculousness sink in."

Steve rolled his eyes, leaning over to grab the papers out of her hand but Becca was a touch quicker, fully jumping up from her chair. She stood on the opposite side of the desk, eyes making quick work of the words on the page. She had seen some ridiculous publicity in her life, but this took the cake. He couldn't watch her go over the papers anymore, feeling anxious at her quiet critiques.

"Detention, well-balanced lunch, safety first... Captain America's Fitness Challenge?! Steve, what is this?" Becca read aloud different headlines on the page, eyes glancing up for a second to see the man in front of her not even looking at her anymore. "Steve?"

"It's nothing." His voice was deep, but all the acknowledgement was through those words. His eyes drawn down to his lap.

The tone in his voice had her forgetting the papers for the moment and fulling looking at him. "Steve-"

"Just leave it alone, Rebecca. Forget I even showed it to you."

Becca walked around her desk, sitting on the top inches away from where Steve sat in his chair. She dropped the papers next to her, letting her arms come to cross against her, staring down at him. Wishing he would look up at her so she could read his expression, but he wasn't. Not doing it probably because he knew she could read anyone within a second glance.

"Talk to me." Her voice was soft, the edge gone from earlier immediately. Knowing in her gut that she might have gone too far.

He glanced up at her under his brow before quickly glancing back down. "I still have an image to uphold."

The brunette nodded, immediately knowing what he was saying after the two had a very similar conversation before. Steve knew that coming back and stepping back into the role of Captain America meant people were expecting the apple pie eating, chip off the old block American icon that knocked out Hitler over 100 times. The guy who sacrificed his own life for the greater good. The epitome of the 'better' times pouring from his brow. Not everything that was Steve Rogers.

"It's your job."

Steve now fully looked up at her now, hearing the confirmation in her voice. "Exactly. And it's not like I'm singing and dancing on stage or acting in a film. It's just a few PSAs for kids in school. That's it. Not too hard."

She uncrossed her arms, gripping to the edge. "You know I just care."

"You should really stop over-thinking everything." The words a clear dig at her always telling him the same thing. She made a face before raising her boot clad foot to nudge him, but this time he was quicker to knock her away with a chuckle. "This is why you came powering in at 8AM?"

The soldier shrugged, grabbing the papers to organize them. "I already had my workout and wanted to get this over with quickly."

"When do you sell your soul?" Becca joked with a smirk present again on her face.

"Tomorrow. They want everything done for the new year."

"I want copies."

"No." He stood up, giving her his own sarcastic smirk.

"It was worth a try." She took a sip of coffee from her to-go cup.

"Have you two not been watching the news?" Natasha came storming in, seeing the in a happy mood, knowing they had no idea what had happened. The TV that was rarely ever used not shockingly on in the corner.

"What are you talking about?" Becca questioned her counterpart, watching the red head rush towards the TV.

"There was another attack." She explained, changing the channel.

"The Mandarin?" Steve's papers floating back to the desktop, mind turning on the spot.

Natasha nodded, finally finding the channel. "Last night."

Becca and Steve moved towards her, watching the images of the new destruction playing on the screen. This time it was in Los Angeles, California at the famous Chinese Theater. The news anchor explaining the situation.

"If you're just tuning in we are still full coverage of the terrorist attack at the legendary Chinese Theater here in Los Angeles. The Mandarin taking responsibility for the attack. It happened late last night, dozens of people still out and about and were the innocent bystanders of the bombing. We're getting reports that at least 30 people were injured, only 2 deaths that we know of right now. One of the injured was Happy Hogan, the former bodyguard of Tony Stark…"

At that point Becca only heard static, her heart beating loudly in her ears at the mention of the man that watched her grow up. Another uncle. A photo of Happy with her father was poised on screen, the only thing her eyes captured. She felt both sets of eyes from the two looking at her, but neither making a sound. Not knowing how to approach the stunned girl.

While Becca started contemplating every situation possible in the short amount of time. It took place somewhere around 11pm the night before about 2am where she was. There had been 6 hours and no news from her father or Peppers or anyone. And that was vibrating through her at the lack of communication. Ignoring the questions from Natasha and Steve, Becca raced to her desk, scrambling to get her cell phone from inside her bag. She checked her texts, her missed call list, and voicemail but there was nothing from anyone on the west coast.

Her fingers quickly made work of calling her father, bringing the phone to her ear to listen to the ringing. The dull tone making her anxiety heighten with each passing second.

"Becca? What are you thinking?" Natasha walked over, leaning her hip against the desk.

She shook her head, getting her father's voicemail, now trying Pepper. "Why is no one answering?" Getting another voicemail, making her more and more anxious.

Steve stood next to Natasha, watching the young woman try to think of more people to call. "Look, it's only 5am there, okay. I'm sure they'll call you immediately when-"

"-They're up. They're all up." Becca countered back. "We don't sleep, we wake up early and worry about nothing. It's the Stark environment. The motto is given to us all when we are initiated. Pick up your phone!" She screamed into the receiver, once again trying to get a hold of her father.

"Hey," Natasha was right next to her now, taking the phone from her hand that was on the verge of snapping in half, "everything is okay, Bec. Happy is going to be fine, do you hear me? Everything is going to be okay." Her hands squeezed her friend's shoulders, trying to get her to calm down. She knew Happy, he was a fighter just like the rest of them and she was certain he was going to come out of this.

Becca gnawed on her lower lip, eyes glancing from Natasha's to Steve's to the tv that was still playing in the background. The Mandarin had been attacking one after another and now it was far more personal to her. Rage filling the nauseous place in her body. That man looked after her in every sense of the word since she was a child, now it was her turn to fight for him.

"I...I have to go. I have to go see him."

"Go," Natasha agreed, placing her phone back in Becca's hand. "Go see him, I'll take care of the meeting."

"The meeting!" The young Stark exclaimed, other priorities filing back into her mind. "Oh my God, I completely forgot." Natasha and herself were supposed to be having a meeting with some board about STRIKES involvement in more foreign matters, especially now with Captain Rogers on their team.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling it myself. You go to your family."

"I'll get you to your apartment." Steve offered, already pulling the keys to his motorcycle out of his pocket. Not the most appropriate thing to drive in the winter in the city, but that didn't stop him.

This time Becca didn't say anything, just nodded. Desperately wishing to she could just magically get there in a second, but she was merely a human. A human whose emotions were outweighing the spy who on the outside. Natasha gave her a strong hug, before Steve ushered her out of the office and towards the basement garage. The cold barely affected her as Steve navigated the two of them through the streets of New York. She held on close to his back, feeling safe there for a split second before he was parking in front of her building.

Once in her apartment, Becca dove into her bedroom, grabbing anything of essential into a backpack. Steve stood back for a few minutes, letting her go about her packing. Becca wore her heart on her sleeve and that was something different than anyone else he had met in this new world. In SHIELD at least. But she got her job done, that was never something someone could take away from her. It was a bit refreshing and he admired her for it. He had watched her deal with Clint when he was brainwashed, with her father almost dying in the wormhole, and Coulson's death. This time it was a person who did have the same training or resources as the rest of them, and the believed it was affecting her in another way. He had met Happy on many occasions now and if there was one thing you learned right away from the many was that he was fiercely protective of the Stark family. And that protective streak was returned.

The sound of her phone ringing made time stand still in the apartment before Becca ran to grab the object off her kitchen table. "Dad!" She exclaimed upon answering. "How is he? Is he okay? Why didn't you call me?" The questions coming out one after another, no time to answer.

"Calm down, Becca." Tony knew that was a irrational thing to say to his daughter, but his head was already pounding from the beeping in the hospital to the gravity of the situation. "He's...he's stable."

"Stable? What the hell does that mean? That could mean a lot of things."

"He's in a medically induced coma to let his body heal or something." He shook his head, pacing up and down the hallway. "I don't know I'm not a doctor."

Those words right there, that's how Becca knew this was much bigger than her father was letting on. He would know, in any other situation he would be able to break everything down and understand what needs to be fixed. But right now, he couldn't help because it was a mechanical problem, and that was driving him mad.

The daughter took the seat Steve pulled out from the table for at seeing her body language change. "You're there with him?"

Tony nodded, even though she couldn't see. "Yeah, I've been here since I got the call."

"And he's going to make it. Right?"

"Hope is in our favor."

She rubbed her eyes, exhausted even though the day just started. Steve sat next to her, just watching, wishing he could hear what was going on on the other side of the call. "I'll be out there as soon as I can. Probably sometime this afternoon."

"Becca, you don't have to rush out here-"

"-It's family, dad."

The father leaned against the wall outside of the room, watching doctors and nurses walk up and down the hall trying to help all the victims of the blast. "I know, kid. Take the plane out of LaGuardia, alright? I'll call and get it ready for you now."

"Okay." She looked up to see Steve giving her a half-hearted smile, which she returned, leaning over to squeeze his hand to reassure him she was okay. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Be safe, baby girl."

She said her last goodbye before ending the call and letting the phone drop back to the table. Both hands were now free to rub her entire face, holding back the tears that were almost threatening to spill from behind her eyes but haven't yet. This was not the way she thought she would be going home for the holidays.

"How is he?" Steve's voice was soft, not wanting to break the thick silence around them in the apartment.

She shrugged, hands coming to off her face to cross on the table, before looking at him. "Stable. I guess that's all we know. They put him in a medical coma. Dad's been there all morning." She ran over the conversation she just had. "I'm supposed to take our plane out of LaGuardia." Tony had always kept one of the Stark Industries planes in New York for if there was ever a situation that Becca had to get back to California as soon as possible. There were only a very few times she had taken the plane, now was one of those times.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

She shook her head, giving him a soft smile of thanks. "No, you have your filming tomorrow and what not."

Steve leaned closer, eyebrows gathering together. "I'll cancel it. They can get over it. I was supposed to head out with you for Christmas in a few days anyways."

"And you'll still come in a few days, I just…" She tried to find the words that would be easy for him to understand where she was coming from and not make him feel useless. "I need to go figure out what is going on with everything. I appreciate your offer I do, but I need to do this by myself. You finish filming and when your done the plane will be back here to bring you out to Malibu. And I'll be there to pick you up."

He nodded, understanding her hesitation. "You need time to process."

"Yeah." She whispered, till trying to read his expression. "Are you mad?"

"No, of course not." This was her problem, but she was once again worrying about him. "I just want to make sure you're going to be okay."

"Thank you." She stood up, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder before going to finish her packing.

It was about an hour later when Steve was driving them into the parking lot and towards the private entrance she pointed out to him. The Stark Industries jet was sitting there waiting for them as they parked yards away from it. Becca pulled herself off the bike first, the cold air enveloping her body being away from Steve. She unsnapped the helmet from around her head and let her hair shake out behind her.

"You sure you don't want me to come with?" Steve asked again, looking over the jet before back at her.

She smiled with an eye roll. "I'll see you in a few days." He nodded, taking the helmet that Becca was handing back to him. "I'll call you when I land, so keep your phone on you for once."

"I'm trying!" He laughed, knowing she was knocking on him. If there was one thing Steve had a problem with it was his cell phone. Not using it, that he picked up quickly, it was actually remembering to bring it with him wherever he went. More times than not she was leaving him voicemails, getting pretty use to talking to his answering machine.

Not thinking any longer, Becca took a step forward and gave him a hug, even though it was a big awkward with her backpack on. Steve gave her a squeeze anyways before letting her go, not wanting to but having to. "Be careful, please."

She nodded, giving him a smile. "I'll see you before you know it."

December 22, 2012

"He's the one that calls out a terrorist to our home but I'm the crazy one! I'm the crazy one! I swear to God, he's got another thing coming!"

Becca sat on the King size bed in the main bedroom, watching Pepper walk back and forth from the closet to the bed to the dressers back to the bed and so on. The anger and annoyance on her face was one that Becca was silently holding inside as well as her two parental figures had been fighting for the past two days, but she had a feeling from the tension this wasn't something new. Especially with the new developments.

On her flight over, Becca was watching the news and reading the reports. There was nothing new, that was until a breaking news report came through the airwaves from her father. Tony had called out The Mandarin himself and going as far as giving out their Malibu home address. This put her on complete security watch as soon as the jet touched down at the Stark Industries Airspace. Bodyguards escorting her off the plane to the car and towards her childhood home. The media were waiting outside the gate wishing to get in or get some word from anyone inside.

From that moment forward Pepper, Tony, and herself have been on complete lock down. No coming in or out. The rift in the family truly becoming too big to breath in the mansion. Tony had locked himself in the garage downstairs, while Pepper and Becca were both trying to work over the phone and laptops they had. The worst part was that Becca wasn't even able to go see Happy with her own two eyes to see he was okay.

"He's rash." Becca explained, folding a shirt beside her. "He thinks with emotions before outcomes. You know this."

"I know this, doesn't mean I wish he wouldn't." Pepper called out from inside the closet. "Him wanting revenge has put all of us in a designated war zone. Now let's put this on top of the millions of other things that he has been stressing out over."

The young girl questioned the tone of her voice in the last bit. "What are you talking about?"

The strawberry blonde sighed, walking out of the close with more clothes. "Never mind, it's nothing you have to worry about."

"It certainly sounds like it's something I have to worry about." This is one of the things she hated by living across the country from her family, she missed out on the small things that each of them were going through. Especially her father, who was more likely to build a hundred more suits than actually explain his feelings. That was something she definitely took notice to as she stepped into the workshop the day before. There had been one new suit after another. Each had different modifications, and each were his own form of therapy. "I really wish you guys would stop acting like I'm still a kid who can't handle the cold world we live in. I deal with on a daily basis."

All Pepper could do was nod her head, but not actually look her in the eye. "I think New York did a number on your father. Far more than he's letting on."

Becca looked down at her lap, feeling the softness of the material of the shirt. It was Tony's Black Sabbath t-shirt that she can remember him wearing for at least 20 years at this point. Just a miniscule of what she believed made up the essence of her father. His hobbies changing significantly over the years from model cars to armored suits. She was the same, swapping in her ballet shoes for knives. It was crazy how much had changed in only a few years. And then there was Pepper, who was dealing with both of the Starks changing lives with remarkable dignity even though she truly hated watching both of them go into battle.

But the battle of New York was still rolling over all of where in the target zone. She knew Steve was still having a few nightmares here or there, but she also wasn't privy to the fact that they were either from the battle or from his past. Natasha was steadfast on moving forward to training harder. Clint was still with his family. She knew Bruce was working here and there with her father and also with SHIELD. Thor hadn't made an appearance since his exit with Loki. And Tony was clearly still not letting any of the battle go, and she had a feeling the most significant point was when he went through the wormhole.

Becca on the other hand didn't think of the battle much as what it was. More along the fact that she felt like she lost some innocence along the way. That innocence had to do with her loss of people, trust in SHIELD, and humanity in herself. It seemed as if with those pieces missing from her core, she found cynicism placed inside of herself, more for the upper class world than anyone else.

The sound of the doorbell ringing downstairs broke Becca's thoughts, a cold chill coming through her body at the idea of someone actually getting through the security system.

"Who could that be?" Pepper asked the question they were both thinking, standing still.

"Keep packing, Pepper." Becca stood up from her stop, pulling out the knife that she had started carrying around with her for a moment's notice.

She exited the bedroom, looking out the windows along the hallway to see multiple helicopters still circling their house. But now a car was pulling up the driveway, coming to a stop in the circle. She contemplated running and grabbing her gun as well but there was no time as a woman with dark brown hair got out of the car and was walking to their front door. Becca had no idea who she was and that wasn't making the situation better.

She could hear Tony talking to whoever it was, but the voice was muffled, letting her know he was in a suit. She started to slink down stairs, noticing that they were still in the foyer of mansion. Becca slipped around the almost 10-foot-tall stuffed bunny that Tony had gotten Pepper for Christmas. Her movement caught the eye of the woman while her father stood in the suit, back towards her.

"Do you guys usually greet guests with artillery?" The woman asked sarcastically, noticing the knife in the young girl's hand.

"Only for the best of the best." Becca threw back, squinting in apprehension at the woman.

This got Tony's attention, turning to see his daughter standing there in Agent mode. "What are you doing down here?"

"The doorbell rings on high alert and you're asking me why I'm being cautious of a stranger in our house." She gave him a look to ask if he was insane. "Habits die hard."

"Okay, look," the woman interrupted the Starks, "I need to be alone with you, someplace not here. It's urgent." The brown-haired woman was looking around the mansion, as if trying to find a safe place or looking for something specific.

"How convenient." Becca mumbled to herself, putting her knife away but still on guard.

"Normally I'd go for that sort of thing," Tony turned away to walk into the main room, "but now I'm in a committed relationship-" At that, two bags came dropping down from upstairs to the main floor. "With her."

"Tony, is somebody there?" Pepper called from the floor above.

"Yeah, it's Maya Hansen." He called out, exiting the suit to let it stand on its own. "Old botanist pal that I used to know, barely."

Becca watching on in suspicion as Tony pulled the woman now known as Maya to the side to have a whispered conversation with her. She stayed off the side while Pepper found her way to the main floor, making her way over to the pair.

"I'm sorry, with Happy in the hospital I didn't know we were expecting guests-" Pepper gave Maya on offhand smile.

"-we weren't-" Tony countered back.

"-and old girlfriends!"

"She's not really." Tony shook his head at Pepper.

"No, not really." Maya somewhat agreed, but there was a edge to her voice. "It was just one night."

"Yep."

Becca couldn't help the excessive eye roll that took over her face at the situation. She didn't remember the woman, then again her father never really brought any woman around when she was younger.

"That's how you did it, isn't it?" Pepper replied back to her significant other with annoyance.

"It was a great night."

"Yep. Well, you know, you saved yourself a world of pain. Trust me."

Tony looked over at her in shock. "What?"

Pepper was over this play nice situation and was ready to move on. "We're going out of town."

"Okay, we've been through this. Nope."

"Yep!"

"The man says no."

"Immediately and indefinitely!"

"Becca-"

"-We are leaving now." The daughter cut off her father, agreeing with Pepper.

"Oh, good. You've brainwashed her."

Pepper was seeing red at this point. "Your daughter has a solid head on her shoulders! We're leaving."

"Great idea. Let's go." Maya agreed and started walking towards the bags.

Tony still wasn't having it though. "I'm sorry, that's a terrible idea. Please don't touch her bags!"

"This is how normal people behave." Pepper tried to reason with him.

"I can't protect you out there!"

Becca watched as Maya finally took notice to the extremely over-sized Bunny near the steps. "Is...is that normal?"

Becca nodded, hands coming to cross against her chest. "Sadly, yes."

"Yes, this is normal!" Tony basically screamed at the woman. "It's a big bunny, relax about it!"

The younger girl shook her head, to not stare full force at the fight that was taking place at the other side of the room. Her eyes found the TV that they have been playing nonstop news on since the attack. An eyebrow raised in question as she watched the image flash to a live stream of the mansion from one of the helicopter with 'Stark Issues Threat' read underneath it. But what really caught her by surprise was something off in the distance making its way towards the home.

"Guys." She said the words still watching the television and clearly not loud enough for anyone to hear over the yelling. "Hey! Lucy and Ricky!" Becca this time got all of their attention before pointing at the TV. "We've got other problem on the line." The object was getting closer on screen, making them all turn their heads to the window where the point of direction was.

Before any of the four of them could gain full attention of what was going on the object, now known as a missile came flying through the window and taking out the fireplace. The force was so great that each person went flying off their feet into a different direction. Becca felt her body slam against the back wall, the air leaving her lungs that the impact. She sat back against the wall, the foundation literally crumbling around her as she tried to regain control of her body.

She looked around to take head count, seeing Maya knocked out knocked out in a pile of rubble and the Iron Man suit leaning over her father where he was laid out on the floor, safe from where the ceiling just crumbled down. The face plate opened, letting Becca know Pepper was safe inside of it. The Agent pulled herself finally up into a standing position, taking a few steps to see what the hell was coming for them outside. But all she could see was news helicopters. But that was when the three lowered their artillery on either side, each taking a shot at them.

"Incoming!" Becca yelled, giving them just a bit of leeway as the missiles came through like a battering ram. It took both Starks off their feet since they weren't in any protective gear, this time flying even further towards the windows away from Pepper and Maya.

"Move!" Tony screamed, picking himself up as did his daughter, from to get Pepper going. "We're right behind you!"

Becca was a step ahead of Tony though as the floor fell out from under her. She scrambled to grab a hold of any purchase from the floor now above her, but it was all crumbling in her hands as she tried. Her body once again fell to the ground, debris and what not crashing on top of her. She could hear the destruction around her but the sounds of Pepper and Tony's voice calling out to her was piercing through.

"I'm okay!" She attempted to scream back even though her body was screaming out louder in pain.

She had landed in the workshop, or what was left of it at this point. Just as Becca gained her footing to get back up, another hit happened just below her, rattling the ground and making her dodge ceiling falling on her and metal devices running into her. But there was just one explosion after another. No time for her to gain her footing before she was falling down again, and now feeling the entire mansion quickly leaning towards the rocks and ocean below.

Her eyes found the stairs in the far-right corner still standing to lead her to safer ground. She pulled her dagger back out of holder and began slamming to blade into the crumbling ground, using the cracked cement to drag her body up the slanted floor as if she was rock climbing. Becca dodged left and right at the many objects that were being moved by gravity towards her.

The sound of fire power was heard over head, but she didn't have time thinking about what was going on upstairs, knowing she needed to get out of her own situation first. That changed however as the biggest eruption yet more than just rattled her surroundings, was completely destroying everything in its wake. She turned her body just in time to see Tony in the suit fall to the floor beside her.

"Dad!" Becca yelled, officially not knowing what else to do as the mansion was toppling over into the ocean and there was nowhere else to run.

Tony looked around their surroundings as one thing after another was going up in flames. Yet he found one way that would hopefully save his daughter. "Get in the car! It's the safest way down and I can get you out from there!"

Only giving her father a nod, knowing there was nothing else to do, Becca let her body skid down to the first car she could get to, ignoring the glass that was cutting deep into her skin. She pulled her body into the front seat just in time as the wall officially dropped out and there was nothing left between the house and dropping to the water below. Becca held onto the steering wheel for dear life as she watched through the broken windshield, the drop making her stomach turn.

The last thing she was aware of was hitting the water and the coldness rushing into her lungs.

Up Next: Father/Daughter Bonding in a far away place while the world things their dead.

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Biblical - Biffy Clyro

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story so far!

I can't thank you all enough for the love and support of Book 2, it makes me think I might be doing something actually right lol!

Biblical

Baby if you could would you go back to the start?

Take any fresh steps or watch it all fall apart again?

It could have been a wonderful year

Instead we might not make it to the end

Everybody cares, but nobody knows

It was cold, that was all she could detect before gaining any other sense of her surroundings or bodily functions. Frigid more like it. Wind was whipping her face, eyes stinging as she finally cracked her lids open, the night sky coming in views.

"Becca! I've got to drop you!"

Her father's voice eager and high in her ear. It was what had shaken her from her unconscious state. She looked around sporadically, finding she was flying through the air, carried by Tony in the Iron Man suit.

"W-what?"

"I'm running out of power! I've got to drop you quick."

She looked to the ground below her, seeing dips of trees and snow on either side of the road. Becca held on tight to one of his hands, himself holding back tighter, as she dropped her body from the bridal position she had been in for who knows how long. Her body dangled by just her hand as she watched them getting closer to the ground, watching far enough away to see where she could fall with as little pain as possible. That's when she saw the mountain of snow that had formed from the wind blowing steady.

"NOW!" Becca screamed the words, losing her grip the same time as Tony. It wasn't the safest landing, but her body was quickly covered by the snow as she sunk down, feeling the hard ground under her toes and she immediately rolled herself to break the landing. As the girl finally landed on her back, the snow underneath felt like heaven on her aching body.

She didn't give herself anymore time to rest, the SHIELD Agent presenting itself inside of her, pulling herself up into a standing position. Her eyes immediately caught the destruction of trees in the wake of where her father had blown through right after dropping her. Becca trudged through the snow up onto the road, letting the pavement be her navigator to find her father hopefully somewhere down the road.

Becca carefully wrapped her arms around her aching and wounded upper body. The cold was finally gnawing down to her bones as the adrenaline officially wore off. She almost expected a car to drive past, but not one came as she kept up her stumble of walking.

"Becca!"

Said girl heard the sound of Tony's voice not that far ahead of her, meaning she had to be getting close. "Dad!" She stared a small jog, finally seeing a man standing in the field in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"I was going to ask you." Tony declared, looking over his daughter as she was only a few steps away from him at this point. Becca was doing the same to him, the gashes edging his face was what really looked the worse. If he looked like that with a suit on, she probably looked like a walking dead girl. "Christ, Bec-"

"I'm fine." She shrugged it off, wiping at her face, not knowing if it was blood or snow or who knew what. "Where the hell are we?"

He sighed, looking down at the shell that was the Iron Man suit. "5 miles from Rose Hill, Tennessee."

Her hazel eyes just about dropped out of her head at the words, not expecting to be so far from home. "Why!"

"Family Vacation. Sounded like a great idea."

"Dad?"

Tony dropped down into the snow, pushing the suit back together so all the pieces met up to close. "I made the flight plan to Jarvis and he thought now was a good time to use it." He pulled straps out of the back of the suit. "You wouldn't happen to have your phone on you?"

Becca started patting herself down, feeling nothing else but the clothes on her back. "I've got nothing." Her fingers tracing the empty knife sheath on her hip. Visions of the attack suddenly plaguing her thoughts. The explosions, using her knife to try to pull herself up the leaning house, and then crashing into the water below. She must have lost it in the chaos.

"Well," Tony sighed, grabbing the two straps over his shoulders, "North or South?"

She watched him for a moment, clearly not letting the situation fully digest itself and to keep going. Then again, if they didn't start walking soon they were more likely to freeze to death at this point.

"North." She whispered in the frozen air, grabbing one of the straps herself so both Starks could share the weight of the suit.

The two were quiet for the beginning of their trek, using all their energy to focus on pulling the dead weight of iron behind them through the snow. Becca's head moving a mile a minute. They were hundreds of miles away from home, had no money, and no way to communicate to anyone to let them know where they were. Also that a terrorist had fulfilled a promise that wasn't even created by him. It had to be well over a mile before either spoke.

"Why Tennessee?"

"What?" Tony asked, not paying attention having been stuck in his own thoughts.

"Why did you have a flight plan to Rose Hill, Tennessee? What's so special about this place?" Her fingers burning from the cold and holding tightly to the strap.

His heavy breath was shown white in the air for a second as he contemplated the answer. But they were literally on their own now, it was the two of them and that was it at this point. "I've been doing some research. Was looking over the blast that happen with Happy. The heat from the blast was the same there as it was here in Rose Hill."

"You wanted to see what the similarities were." She deducted the reasoning. "There wasn't any Mandarin attack here. Well, at least that we know about since the government is being hush hush over it." All of the sudden, the anger in the pit of her stomach was growing enough to warm her for a split second. "You know, I thought having a Godfather would get me more intel."

"Rhodey not tell you a thing?"

"I swear he's more secretive than you half the time."

The thought of Becca trying to get intel out of his best friend and the two of them fighting over it was few and far between, but a battle between the two was fun to watch. And it usually ended with a lashing Rhodey wasn't expecting from the young girl. This time, however, clearly he wasn't budging. "Anyways, the only similarities between the two explosions had to do with two guys in the Military. Which is a bit odd."

She nodded. "Guess we do have some work to do here then."

"Might be better if we stay off the grid for a while."

Becca didn't answer that, but agreed. If the world thought they were missing then the threat was off of their family and friends. She knew she had an ear fill coming from New York though.

Finally, after a few miles they saw a beacon of hope. A gas station sat in the distance ahead of them, making the father and daughter ground their feet harder into the ground to move faster. The Texaco sign was a beacon of hope in the dark night, or morning. Neither knew exactly what time it was at this point or even what day. They dropped the iron suit at the base of the phone booth that stood on the outside of the gas station, both stretching their backs to release the tension that has started to build up.

"Here." Tony held out a poncho he pulled off of an Indian statue next to them, but she only shook her head.

"I've at least got a zip up." She denied the article of clothing, zipping up the sweatshirt further to show she was fine. Her father only had a few t-shirts on.

"Bec-"

"-I'm fine. Honestly." Becca looked around her, seeing that the station was closed but could see the outside bathrooms on the side. "I'm going to use the bathroom."

He nodded, pulling the fabric over his head. "I'm gonna leave a message for Pepper."

With a small smile, that didn't meet her eyes, she turned on her heel. She was surprised that the door was unlocked when she turned the knob. Small town charm at it's finest. The yellow light flickered for a few seconds before finally staying on, a buzz echoing off of the white tile walls and floor. It was small, the toilet and sink just a few inches apart from each other but Becca couldn't care at the moment. The thick smell of bleach and tobacco filtered through her nose as she finally felt a tad bit warmer out of the frigid outdoors.

Nimble fingers found the sink basin, her eyes finally looking at herself in the cracked mirror in front of her. She looked a mess. Plain and simple. Her face held small cuts around, one exclusively deep gash above her eyebrow. She had no doubt her body looked similar underneath the clothing she wore. She turned only the hot water on from the faucet and watched the the blood and dirt start to run off of her hands, but still leaving a deep layer under her nails.

If anyone was to look at her they would probably think she was mauled by an animal. And that's the story she would stick with.

Becca grabbed some paper towels and tried to wipe some of the bloody tracks from her face and neck. She pitied the person who would have to clean up after her, seeing the bloody papers filling up the waste bin rather quickly. Something that was just more than a nose bleed on a bad day. Taking one last breath, the brunette exited the small room, the cold immediately blanketing over her again. It was perfect timing as Tony was exiting the phone booth just then.

"Ready?" Becca called out, finally pulling her hood over messy hair for a tad bit more warmth.

Tony nodded, rubbing his hands together. "Yeah, left Pepper a message." He watched her walk over and grab one of the straps again. "You want to call anyone?"

"Nope." She pulled it over her shoulder, waiting for her father to do the same so they could keep going.

"Bec-"

"I see a water tower over there, we're probably close."

He didn't ask again, but did give her a look as if he was trying to read or make her open up but she wasn't budging. So, with a soft grunt, he grabbed the other strap and the two started their trek once again. Silence with a heavy fog over their already cold atmosphere.

Of course Becca wanted to called someone but she couldn't. There were four people on that list and she knew that three of them would drop everything and try to come save her. They didn't need anymore people in harm's way then they already had. Eve would be a wreck no matter what since she has no way of helping in this situation, Natasha would try to track everything down piece by piece and leave a red mess in the wake, Steve would find her and come straight to her to help, and Clint was actually the closest to where she was but needed to stay off the grid still. Oh, there was also Director Fury who would kindly put in how 'stupid she was' to even be part of such an attack. It was just better this way.

They could finally see the actual town coming into their view, porch lights shining about to make out houses in the distance. They made their way around the first one they came to, finding an iron door in the back that looked to be the entrance to a shed. Letting Tony rest the entire weight of the suit on him as Becca found an iron tool to jam the door open, the Iron Man suit falling to the inside upon the door opening.

"Well, if that didn't sound like we're breaking in…" Becca whispered, putting the tool back.

"We're not breaking in." Tony discarded the poncho that was beginning to actually make him sweat.

"Oh no, what would you call it?"

"Temporarily housing us."

She rolled her eyes, looking over the expansive shed that might have actually been a garage at one point. "Family vacation at it's finest."

"Enough with your sass and help me get him inside." The father and daughter dragged the suit for the last time to the small couch.

As the warmth was starting to defrost Becca, she zipped the hoodie off her body. The fabric pulled at the cuts that littered her arms as she let it drop to the ground. The two Starks sat on opposite sides of the workshop, pulling glass and what not out of their bodies.

"Freeze!"

A different voice shout through the space, catching them both off guard. Becca looked up to find a young boy standing in the doorway, no older than 12. But what she really took notice to was the potato gun raised in his hand at her father.

"Don't move."

"You got me." Tony lifted his hands in innocence, but his face read otherwise. Becca simply let him handle it, while using a pair of needle nose pliers to get the glass out of her bicep. "Nice potato gun. Barrel's a little long. Between that and the wide gauge, it's going to diminish your FPS." To prove him wrong, the little boy shot a glass off the shelf in perfect aim. "And now you're out of ammo."

"What's that thing on your chest?"

Becca glanced up in surprise by his question, not expecting that to be the first thing to come out of the boy's mouth. Maybe a 'Get out of my house' or 'What do you want', something like that.

Here Tony was thinking the same thing. "It's an electromagnet. You should know, you got a box of them right here." It was true, the shed was filled with odds and ends of equipment.

The boy still held the gun in an aimed position, but was curious. "What does it power?"

Tony looked over at his daughter, almost contemplating if they should show up in iron suit that sat behind him.

"Might as well show him," she shrugged, starting work on her other arm, "I mean we did break into his house." With a nod, Tony switched the small desk light towards the couch and stood up.

At the sight, the boy dropped the gun and his whole demeanor changed to one of surprise and joy. "Oh my God!" He took a few steps closer to get a better look. "That...that's-is that Iron Man?"

"Technically, I am."

"Technically, you're dead." The boy stuffed a paper to Tony's chest before going to the couch.

Becca forgot all about her injuries as she scrambled back to her feet, taking quick steps over to her father. The front page headline was in bold reading, MANDARIN ATTACK: STARK FAMILY PRESUMED DEAD. Underneath before the fold was a photo of Tony and herself, followed by a photo of the Iron Man suit.

"Valid Point." Tony released the paper, letting Becca take it where she propped herself up on the workbench and started to read the article.

"What happened to him?" the boy was kneeling on the couch, touching and prodding everything he could on the suit.

"Life." He observed his daughter's face as she read through the article, but he could see she was going to let on much so he turned to the kid. "I built him, I take care of him. I'll fix him."

"Like a mechanic." The younger swiveled the head back and forth. "If I was building Iron Man and War Machine-"

"-It's Iron Patriot now."

"That's way cooler!"

"No, it's not." Tony glanced over hearing a snort from Becca, but not knowing if it was from the name or the article.

"Anyways, I would have added in," he tried to remember the world he was looking for, "um, the retro-"

"Retro-reflective panels?"

"To make him stealth mode."

Becca somewhat heard the conversation and looked up to give the boy a smile. "That's actually a good idea." The reaction got a wide smile from the boy and a 'don't encourage him' look from her dad. Becca just rolled her eyes and went back to the article, officially tuning them out.

It was standard for the most part, classic 'get-you' sentences to leave the reader thinking the absolute worse. Then again, she might just be thinking that because she knew they weren't dead. At least for now. It reminded her so much for the articles that were written when her father went missing all those years ago now, this time she was involved. And the world was still split on whether she was the extra fighter in the New York battle, so in plenty of minds she was just an innocent victim.

And that's what it said, that Tony Stark led a terrorist to the house where his daughter was also inside, leading him to her death. She knew the truth though, she led herself to her own 'demise'. This had been the same trope she had been hearing her whole life though. Always the headlines about her father galavanting around the world while his simple daughter stay at home, locked up in her tower. No one could ever believe that a single billionaire could actually love and take care of his daughter as a single parent. What a crazy thought.

But back to the original article, the world thought they were dead. Regret sat in the her stomach, making her nauseous and heart beat rising. The only person that knew they were alive, besides this young boy they barged in on, was Pepper and that was only if she checked the Stark Secure Server. Becca now wished she would have taken Tony's offer of calling someone. Just one person in particular. That man was going to blame himself and that wrecked her even more.

Becca looked over, trying to get her mind off of the worse, watching Tony and the boy interact. Tony giving him something to fend off bullies at school. It all was oddly settling.

"What's your name?" Tony questioned the kid.

"Harley." He answered, flipping the device around to see how it would work. "And you're…"

"The Mechanic. Tony."

"And you?" Harley turned over his shoulder, looked at Becca with wide eyes.

She gave him a shy smile, intrigue resting on his young face. Watching him with pure innocence reminded her why she was in this lifestyle. Why she took on the job of protecting anyone and everyone. Especially the ones that could not help themselves. "I'm Bex."

He couldn't turn it off. He couldn't turn the channel. He couldn't move from the seat. It was almost that he was on sensory overload, not feeling or hearing anymore, just watching. The images flashing across his eyes for hours. Over and over. Torturing himself. News stations had nothing better to report on. This was the story that had taken over the US and no doubt overseas.

And the worse part, Steve hated watching new stations.

Becca always joked with him about his apprehension to watch nightly or morning news. He would much rather read a newspaper or the internal reports they would get in from SHIELD. Reading reports allowed him to make his own opinion about a situation and not be swayed one way or another. But in this situation there was only really one story, and it was broadcasted on live television.

The second he watched the first missile hit the mansion, Steve felt his knees give way. He had been at the last shoot for the PSAs, finishing up the ending scenes that they needed when there were murmurs about. He caught the tail end of the conversation something about the Mandarin and the Starks. He ignored the production around him and raced to the TV, finding the explosion in the wake. They had replayed in the demolishment so many times he could practically count each second a new wave hit.

They might have not been done filming, but he was. He quickly changed out of the uniform and raced towards Becca's office, hoping to find Natasha. But it was empty. He turned on the TV in the corner that was now getting more use than it had in years. And that's where Steve had stationed himself all night, sitting at Becca's desk, just watching. Waiting for someone to tell him it was a lie. That she was fine and safe. But they still hadn't found her or Tony under the rubble or in the water below. Anywhere. There was no trace of them.

The last time he was in the office Becca was the one panicking, yelling that no one was calling and letting her know what was going on. Now he sat with his own phone in his palm and no answer was coming his way. He felt regret, wishing he would have gone with her a few days ago. Maybe he could have saved her, and she would be safe.

God, he couldn't think like that. She couldn't be gone. Rebecca Stark could not be dead. She was to highwilled for this to be her downfall.

If she had gone into the water and drowned, that would drive him mad. He knew that feeling, of crashing into the ocean and suffocating with water surrounding you. She shouldn't have to know that pain and it was driving him mad.

It was nearing 6AM when he finally left the office and SHIELD, not getting anything he wanted done there anyways. There had to be something he could do. Anything. He was supposed to fly out to California today, at the time to spend Christmas with the Stark family, but now he was on a mission to save her. That didn't help though, when he nearly crashed his bike seeing the lights on in her apartment just ahead of him.

It was such a blur as Steve somehow parked his bike and ran the steps up to the top floor of the apartment building. His hands were a jittering mess as he put the key in the door and swung it open, hitting the wall beside it.

"Becca!" His voice was loud, not caring about the time, just needing to know if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"S-steve?"

The voice was soft and gravely, but he couldn't place it at first. His heart jumped into his throat as movement came out of the bedroom. But his shoulder visibly deflated at recognizing the person, not who he was expecting. Eve stood there, hair a mess and eyes red from crying. She held her arms around herself, feeling so cold in the warm apartment.

"I-" Eve's voice slipped, seeing a familiar face, but also not the one was expecting either, "I didn't know where else to go."

He only nodded, closing the door behind him, leaving the two in the viciously quiet apartment. The both had the same thoughts of wanting one person back, but neither knew how to move forward with the thought of her gone.

Up Next: Fight in a small town.

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Circles - Pierce the Veil

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

Captain Marvel is my new favorite thing and Endgame is giving me great amount of feels.

Let's see how much I can get out of this story before April 26th, fingers crossed!

Circles

You took my hand and then we both started running

Both started running, there's no place to go

Another bullet and we both started running

Both started running too

Save yourself, don't ever look back

Nowhere to go and so we both spin around in circles

December 23, 2012

"Are you a part of the Avengers?"

Becca looked away from the mirror to see Harley standing in the bathroom doorway that use to once be almost closed. "I'm sure your mother told you not to barge into a room when the door is closed."

The young boy shrugged, "It was open a crack. You could have locked it."

"Touché." She turned back to her job at hand of minimizing the cuts along her face.

"So…" he leaned against the doorframe, "are you an Avenger?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that you are but it's safer for you to act like you aren't."

This answer regained her full attention. "And why's that?"

Harley shrugged, "Cause you're only human. Like you don't have a cool suit or superhuman powers, n-n-not that you need any of those things to be cool!" He stammered through the end at seeing an eyebrow raise, not wanting to offend her either way. It was just an observation he had. "I just assume it must run in the family. If my dad was Iron Man, I would so want to fight with him."

She closed the cap on the concealer she found in the drawer and turned to lean her hip against the counter. "Solid Theory. Honestly, the best one I've heard yet, and there has been thousands of so-called answers on it."

"Thanks," he smiled wide, "I'm one of the top students in my class."

"I have no doubt about that," Becca gave him her own smile. "You said your dad isn't around anymore?"

The smile dropped and instead was replaced by a seldom frown. "He ran off a few years ago. Haven't heard from him since."

"It's just your mom and sister with you?"

"Yeah," Harley agreed, "Mom has been working doubles at the diner this week so she can be home with us on Christmas."

"And you look up to your mom?"

"Absolutely! She's awesome!"

"And you try to help her out around the house?"

"Yeah, whatever I can do. I'm mostly home alone, 'cause she usually takes my sister to a sitter or daycare when she's not home."

Becca crossed her arms, "You know I never met my mother. I have no clue who she is, not even a name. It was just me and my dad forever. And we are very different, but the one thing that was have in common is that we care a lot for each other. He was my superhero long before the world knew him as Iron Man." She turned back to the mirror now, rechecking her face. It was the best it was going to get for the moment. "Your mom is a superhero as well, you know," Becca dropped the makeup back in the drawer before turning back to him, "don't ever forget that."

Harley watched her walk away, thinking of what she said to him, but more importantly what she didn't. "But you never answered my question!"

Becca ignored him, walking back to the garage where she had left her father to finish the final touches on the suit. Tony was pulling on some extra clothes Harley had found of his father's that clearly weren't going to be missed.

"Good," Tony pulled a baseball cap on, "let's head out."

"The suit is up and running?" Becca asked, confused since the 10 minutes she was gone was no time at all for it to be charged up with the small amount of equipment they had collected.

"No, it needs time to charge...like a lot of time, anyways I want to go see the sight of the scene," he explained, throwing his daughter a flannel and denim jacket. "They might be a little big, but-"

"-It's fine." She pulled the flannel on than her previous zip up before the jacket. Then there was a pocket switchblade being held out to her. She silently grabbed it, flipping it open to see the blade hidden.

"Thought you would feel more comfortable with that." Tony watched her look over the knife, testing the edge against her fingertips and contemplating the weight in her hand. It was the first time he saw her actually feel secure since landing in the southern state early that morning.

His daughter had been mostly silent, quietly doing what was asked from her, but not failing to notice her eyes drifting over to the newspaper headline many times throughout the day. The same nonchalant way she tried to brush off the idea of calling anyone at the gas station. A certain guy that had easily become her closest companion in less than a year's time. Becca was extremely independent. There was never really a person she had before that she would talk to basically every day or let them know her whereabouts. She was good at reading people and mostly fantastic at hiding her worries, but Tony knew his daughter in each step of her life.

"Thanks." Becca gave Tony a real smile as she placed the switchblade in her empty holster. She turned around to where Harley was standing, watching the whole thing. "You want to play tour guide?"

"Sure!" the boy exclaimed, rushing to grab his jacket.

The trio left the house, the town a bit busier than it had been in the early morning hours, now about 6pm. Becca pulled her hood up while Tony pulled the brim of his hat lower on his face, just to be cautious of the crowds that were walking about the street. It was a small town, everyone knew everyone, so a new face would likely stand out even at night.

"The sandwich was fair," Tony explained to Harley, "the spring was a little rusty, the rest of the materials, I'll make do." The group dodged a family on the sidewalk. "By the way, when you said your sister had a watch, I was kind of hoping for something a little more adult than that." He showed off the piece for evaluation.

Becca chuckled, "Not a fan of Dora the Explorer?"

"She's six." Harley gave his own laugh to the comment. "Anyways, it's a limited edition."

Tony and Harley continued talking about something, but Becca's eyes caught something in the distance that was almost calling to her. "Hey, I'm gonna do my own look around. Meet back here in 10?"

The older Stark was a second apprehensive but agreed anyways. "10 minutes. Be smart."

She nodded, before turning on her toes to head in the opposite direction as them where the memorial was built for the people that were lost in the explosion. She kept her head down, hands in the oversized jacket pocket, as she made her way down the street. It seemed like families were doing last minute holiday shopping or out to eat for the night. It was a cheery environment if she wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder. Becca had always wanted to go to Tennessee, but her dream was more Nashville than Rose Hill.

With another street crossed, Becca finally made her destination of the payphone. Once again, thank god for the small-town charm to still have them around town. It was just outside of a convenience store where people were coming and going, bustling about inside. The SHIELD Agent closed herself inside the small booth, claustrophobia almost pressing against her lungs or it could be what she was about to do. The receiver was cold against her palm as she picked up the phone and placed it to her ear. Entering the Stark Secure Server code that was embedded in her mind when she was a child in case of emergencies.

She put in the additional phone number she needed and waited. It rang. It rang again. Each time the ringing buzzed through the line she felt her heart almost skip a beat, just waiting. Just waiting to hear his voice come through the other line, the next thing she would hear is his deep octave range. But the next thing she heard was, "The number you reached is currently busy. Please leave a message at the beep or hang up."

She waited another second, then heard the beep.

"Hey, it's me," Becca shook her head at the words, "God, I hate when people say that and I just did." She had to stop herself for a second, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to steady her anxiety. "I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. Well...okay as I can be after a terrorist attack. Me and my dad, we're alive. I needed you to know because I can't come home yet. Not until we figure out what is going on."

The sound of bells ringing above the store door shook her for a second, nearly grabbing her knife, but calming down at seeing a couple of teenagers leaving the store. The boy and girl laughing and holding hands. The scene in front of her teased her with a comfort she needed right now but didn't have. "I can't tell you where I am because I don't want you to come looking for me. I don't want to get you involved in this drama. Just...just tell Eve I'm alive. I'm sure she's not doing so well with the news. But promise me that's it. Please, no one else can know."

The cold all of the sudden felt suffocating again and she needed to end this now. "I'm so sorry, Steve."

With those few words she hung up the phone.

Becca rushed out of the booth, needing to pull herself away from the situation again. She made her peace. She could no longer worry about what was happening at home, only on getting the job done and the small family finding their way back at some point in the near future. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

As she was nearing the street to meet back up with Tony and Harley, she saw her father sitting on the corner in the snow with the boy standing over him. "Hey," she called out as she rushed over to see what was going on, "what's wrong?"

Harley pointed at him, "He had a-"

"-I got a little woozy, probably dehydrated." Tony cut him off, playing nonchalant.

Becca however wasn't buying it, seeing the shaky grip in his hands and sweating in the freezing cold. But she would stay silent; for now. "We should get you some water."

"Already handled." He showed her the clumps of snow in his hand that he then proceeded to chuck at the boy, getting a laugh out of him.

She looked down the street from where the two just were, seeing the memorial that was set up in place of where she assumed the bombing happened. "That it?" she pointed down the street.

"Yeah," Harley confirmed to her.

"And what's the story exactly?"

"This guy was in the army, Chad Davis. And one day, folks said he went crazy and blew himself up, right there," the boy pointed to the spot in the center of the mess.

Becca shook her head in sadness. "He was from around here right?" she asked, getting a nod in response. "Does he have any relatives or close friends?"

"Mrs. Davis? Where is she?" Tony questioned, regaining the color in his face some.

"Where she always is," Harley stated.

"See, now you're being helpful."

The bar, Walker's, was packed and cheerful the day before Christmas Eve. There were Christmas lights strung on the windows inside and out, cheap Holiday decor gracing the walls, and Country Christmas tunes falling out of the jukebox in the corner. Becca stood just inside the door, taking in her surroundings, seeing what part she was about to play in this small town.

Harley had explained to them that this was the bar that Mrs. Davis frequently was at and by the looks of it, everyone 21 and older was at. The Starks decided to enter in shifts, Becca first with him following a few yards behind. They didn't want to be seen together in case one was recognized than the other. But as Becca finally took a good look at the bar that was stationed in the middle of the room, she found a person that she hoped could give her the real information if she played her cards right.

Becca took her chance and saddled up to the bar, taking the empty seat right next to the Sheriff. At least that's what she was assuming from the badge, jacket, and gun. She read the room with no movement, the exact way she was trained, only using her other senses.

"What can I get for you," the bartender asked, drying the glass in his hand.

"Can I just get a water, please." Becca pulled the denim coat off and let it hang from the back of her chair.

"Just a water?" the older gentleman seated next to her queried.

Hook, line, and sinker. Becca glanced over to give the Sheriff a small smile. "Extremely long day and very low on cash."

"What's your drink of choice?"

"I'm good with anything whiskey." She accepted the glass of water that the bartender sat down on a coaster before her.

"Good choice," the sheriff smiled back at her before turning to the bartender himself, "Johnny, get us both to JDs with ice and put it on my tab."

"What? Oh, no you don't have to." Play the innocent bystander.

"Nonsense, it's on me."

The two stayed quiet as they watched Johnny fill the glasses with ice and then poured Jack Daniels over top of it.

"Well, thank you." Becca took her glass and lifted it up for a cheers. "Merry Christmas."

"And a happy New Year." The Sheriff clinked his glass with her's before they both took their own sips.

Over the rim of her glass, she saw Tony walk in, his eyes doing their own look about. Their eyes met for a brief second as he walked past and Becca turned back to the bar to set her glass down, exchanging it for her water.

"You're not from around here, are ya?" he asked her, taking another sip of his drink.

Becca couldn't help but laugh, "that obvious, huh?"

"No offense to you, but it's a small town. Everyone knows everyone type of feel."

"I'm just passing through. Trying to get home for Christmas." It wasn't a total lie. "Saw that Rose Hill was close, and I wanted to give my respect." She eyed him just out of the corner of her eye to see what type of mood that would bring to the pleasant conversation.

The Sheriff nodded his head and looked down at the wood bar, forlorn expression. "Heard about that, did ya?"

"Of course. I have family in the service and it's hard time to readjust coming back home." She looked around them to check out the surrounding, but actually to find her father. He was sitting at a table near the back with an older woman that she was guessing was Mrs. Davis. "Davis, he grew up here?"

"Yeah," he looked up, finishing off his drink, "lived here his whole life. But from what we've heard something happen to him while in the Army and when he got back nothing was the same."

Becca started to ask if he knew what happen in the Army when commotion grabbed the entire bar's attention. They turned to find Tony face down on the table with a red-haired woman putting handcuffs on him.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's all this about?" The Sheriff quickly stood from his seat to make his way over. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's called an arrest." The redhead finished both of Tony's hands, before flinging him back to land on the floor.

Becca stood from her seat, hand poised on the knife at her hip. Ready at any second to fight.

The woman however continued "Sheriff, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am, it is. And you are?"

"Homeland Security," she produced her own badge to show proof, "we good here?"

"No, we're not 'good'," the Sheriff chuckled with no real humor in his voice, "I need a little more information than that."

"Well, I think it's a little above your pay grade, Sheriff."

Becca watched Tony silently motion towards Mrs. Davis with his head, and the woman took a folder on the table and slide it on the ground under the pool table in the back of the room. Tony than got Becca's attention towards it, giving her father a nod of understanding. She wasn't going to make a scene, but she needed to get that folder before the redhead noticed it was missing.

"All right. You know what?" the woman stepped closer to the sheriff now, "I was hoping to do this the smart way but, uh, the fun way is always good."

The Sheriff wasn't having it though and turned to a man that had stepped up next to him. "Deputy, get this woman out of-"

He was cut off as the woman brought her badge against his face but was really took notice to was the way her whole hand was glowing red, burning the Sheriff as he screamed. She took the same burning hand and burned a hole through his side to grab his gun. She pulled it out, shooting the deputy and then the sheriff in the head.

"Everyone out!" Becca yelled, making sure everyone was truly moving as they screamed and ran towards the exit. Tony got up and ran out of the bar, getting the redhead to follow along. Becca finally found her will to move and dove under the pool table to grab the folder. She ran out of the bar seeing the woman shooting a shotgun through the window across the street. Sliding the folder under a car nearby for safe keeping, Becca ran towards the woman to stop her but was knocked flat on her back by a sudden force.

A man stood above her, a cheeky smile on his face as he stared down at her. "Where are you running off too?"

"I'm guess after your glowing girlfriend." She gritted through her teeth, as the smile turn to a glare above her and his eyes shifted into a bright blaze of orange.

Two snowballs came out of nowhere, hitting the man in the side of the face and in the chest. This gave Becca enough time to knock out one knee and use the heel of her converse to slam into his nether regions. It was a cheap shot, but the guy could burn her alive. Nothing was off the table at this point, especially as he fell to his knees in pain. Becca was able to push her body up quickly, swinging her leg again to kick him square in the jaw, officially knocking him back.

She turned to see Harley hiding behind a telephone pole, clearly where the snow balls came from. She grabbed the folder and stuck it in between a planter box under a store window for now.

"You okay?" she asked the young boy.

"I'm fine," Harley came out from his hiding spot. "What is going on?"

"People are glowing, and clearly hate us," Becca explained. The knife finally came out of her holster, flipping open in her grip. "You should go home."

"Bex! Behind!"

She had just enough time to turn around, before she was being lifted off the ground and thrown to the hood of a car. There was no time to assess the pain in her body as she saw the guy staggering towards her, and she rolled off the opposite way.

"Was it something I said?" She quipped, gripping the knife harder in her hand.

He didn't respond, only grabbed the car door and pulled off the hinges before chucking it over the roof at her. She ducked, giving him the opportunity to get on her side. He pinned her against the car.

"You don't know when to shut up, do you?" His hands pinned her wrists, while his leg was blocking her thighs.

"Nervous tick," Becca headbutted him, getting him to stumble a little away from her. She finally was able take the knife and stab it into his chest. The girl expected him to cry out in pain, drop to his knees, something of that affect. But it didn't, he only pulled it from his chest and began melting the grip in his hand.

She was weaponless standing in front of a guy that could burn her alive. That wasn't the best way to go. She didn't wait to turn on her heel and start running down the street. But he was once again stronger and faster than her. The glowing man picked her up and easily chucked her in the air like a football, where she was once again landed on a car. This time though was on the windshield and her body crumbled around the glass on impact.

Her body felt like it was being nestled in, but not with pillows, no it felt like jagged rocks poking into her body. Nothing felt broken or stabbed, but her mind wasn't allowing her body to move. She had gone through hell in the past 24 hours only, and Becca had a feeling they weren't close to being finished. The sound of a mighty explosion broke through her ringing head, picking it up enough to see it came from the store her father had run into. The brunette looked up to see what she could make out was the redhead lying motionless on the power lines.

Not long after the side structure of the water tower began glowing bright red, letting her know the guy who was just after her had to have made his way over there. The tower came tumbling down, sending a flood of water through the town, and she had a feeling it was after one person who was thankfully still alive over there.

"Time to move, Becca," she spoke to herself. Hiss rang through her teeth as she carefully as possible pulled her body off the car, thankfully no blood evident on the once spotless windshield. With a few very deep breaths, she started a jog back towards the start of the street. She could hear Harley yelling to be let go, along with Tony and the man saying something back and forth, but she couldn't make any of it out. Becca trampled over the mess in the wake of the explosion and water into something that was once a tree lot. She picked up a decent size pipe that was laying in her wake, for some sort of weapon.

"Mr. Stark, I am so sorry." Harley cried out.

Becca hid behind some broken fence to see the boy being held by the man and her father on the ground surrounded by metal that must have been from the water tower.

"No, no, no," the man said, "I think he was trying to say, 'I want my goddamn file'."

Tony shook his head, "It's not your fault kid. Remember what I told you about bullies?"

Those words sparked something in Harley, because he grabbed the small gadget Tony had given him and let it flash in the man's face. Harley was able to jump off of him as the man fell backwards onto the ground. Becca stepped out and grabbed the young boy, putting him in safe keepings behind her.

"That's the thing about smart guys, we always cover our ass." Tony called out to him as he was back to a standing position.

"And I wasn't done talking yet," Becca said, making herself known.

The man turned around to see her just as the pipe she held collided with his skull sending him twirling and Tony used his wrist power shot to blast him square in the face. The blast sending him flying backwards with a severe burned face.

Becca's shoulders finally unclenched from around her ears as the guy was clearly not getting up this time. "Friends of yours?" she asked her father, walking over to use the pipe to help pull the metal up so Tony could slide his foot out where he was barricaded.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Tony flung the device off his wrist as it was burning him because of the downpour of water he just went through. He pulled himself out of the rubble to a standing position. "But clearly we're all here for the same reason." He walked over to the still sizzling man and pulled the car keys out of his pocket. "You got the folder right?"

She nodded, "It's safe."

The Starks made their way back through the town, cops and the fire department up and down the street. Each were worse for wear, but neither wanted to show the other that. Becca grabbed the hidden folder and the two walked towards the car, ready to get out of this town.

"You're welcome," Harley called out, wrapped in an oversized jacket and a cowboy hat from one of the officials.

"For what? Did I miss something?" Tony questioned as Becca glanced through the folder quickly.

"Me, saving your life."

"Yeah. A, saved you first. B, thanks, sort of. And C, if you do someone a solid, don't be a yutz." Tony unlocked the car for the father and daughter to hop into. "All right? Just play it cool. Otherwise you come off grandiose."

"Thank you, Harley," Becca thanked the boy across the car from where she was standing at the passenger side, the praise rubbing into her father. "I would be burnt toast without you."

"No problem," the boy smiled at her before turning back to the older man, "Unlike you? Admit it, you need me. We're connected."

"What I need is for you to go home," Tony leaned over and took the cowboy hat from him, "be with your mom, keep your trap shut, guard the suit, and stay connected to the telephone because if I call you better pick up. Okay? You feel that? We're done here." He patted the boy on the shoulder to signal it was over. "Move out of the way, or I'm gonna run you over. Bye, kid."

"Bye Harley," Becca said, getting into the car followed by her father in the driver's side.

Tony started up the car but could feel the glare coming from his daughter. "What?"

"You know what," she pointed at the window where the boy was still standing outside.

Tony huffed, like he wasn't about to take direction from his daughter, but the glare he felt only intensified. "Jeez, you're more and more like Pepper every day," he mumbled, putting the window down.

"Thank you." That was something to be very proud of from Becca's standpoint.

"I'm sorry, kid," Tony looked out the window where Harley was still standing, "you did good."

"So, now you're just gonna leave me here," Harley stepped forward with a dejected face, "like my dad?"

"Yeah...wait, you're guilt-tripping me, aren't you?"

Becca snorted at watching Harley pull the jacket tighter around him and gave some puppy dog eyes. He was good.

"I'm cold."

"I can tell," Tony mocked, "You know how I can tell? Because we're connected." He didn't even wait another second before he was peeling out of the parking spot and the two were off down the road.

The car was warm, and the heated seats were an absolute blessing as Becca let her body mold into the passenger seat. The quiet hum of the road under them was almost a blessing between the quiet seconds where Tony and herself were quiet. They were currently on no real destination in sight, just needing to get out of the area ASAP.

"You know what's weird," Becca said flipping through the pages of the folder that she had been reading since they started on the drive, "this is a confidential file, way to much top secret of information, that definitely shouldn't be outside of a government building."

"I think that's the least of our worries at the moment," Tony countered, fingers tapping against the steering wheel.

"Also, the fact that there is another person's report in here. This Taggart guy-"

"-He's the dog tags I found where Happy was injured."

Becca looked up from the report at the new information, pieces slowly falling into place that she didn't know before. "Both of these guys were part of an explosion at the same rate of heat, they each knew each other, and nothing was found of them after the blast. Yeah, that's not a coincidence at all."

"At the memorial sight, there was only five shadows, yet six people died," he explained to his daughter, "no shadow for Davis."

"But...that doesn't...there should have been one if he was anywhere near the bomb. It's not like he blew up from the inside out." It didn't make sense. The young Stark looked down at the papers and the words 'Assignment Number' was sitting with her a wrong way and that wasn't all. "Also, 'MIA'," she said, looking at the letters printed in sharpie at the top of the page, "they definitely weren't Missing In Action."

"Wait, let me see that," Tony leaned over and grabbed the paper out of her hands.

"Hey! I thought we discussed I would read and you would drive!"

"It's backwards." He growled out, pushing the paper back at her.

"What?"

"It was written on the back."

Becca flipped it over and looked at the sharpie again. It was easy to see the difference from front to back now that she was truly paying attention to it. "'AIM?' Why do I know that?" She attempted to rack her brain.

"Because it's the people who redesigned Rhodey's suit," Tony explained as he was already dialing the person in question's phone number.

The car phone rang a few more times before Rhodey's voice came through the speakers. "Hello?"

"You ever have a chick straddling you and you look up and suddenly she's glowing from the inside out, kind of a bright orange?" Tony greeted him, while Becca rolled her eyes and going through the papers in a different mind set now.

"Yeah, I've had that. Who is this?"

"It's me, pal. Now, last time I went missing, if I remember correctly, you came looking for me. It's also, not just me, but your niece this time. You know, I named you Godfather for a reason."

"Bec, you okay?" Rhodey asked, completely ignoring the rest of the comments that were made.

"Kicking and breathing," she replied.

"What are you doing?" Tony took back over.

They could hear Rhodey sigh, "A little knock-and-talk. Making friends in Pakistan. What are you guys doing?"

"Your redesign, your big rebrand, that was AIM, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna find a heavy-duty comm sat right now. I need your login."

"It's the same as it's always been. 'WarMachine68'."

Becca snickered, "How AOL of you."

"And password, please." Tony asked, looking around for somewhere they could go.

"Well, look, I gotta change it every time you hack in, Tony."

"It's not the '80s. Nobody says 'hack' anymore. Give me your login."

Another sigh followed. "'WAR MACHINE ROX' with an 'X'. All caps."

Genuine laughter filled the car at the answer, bringing the first legit smile on either of their faces in a very long time at this point.

"Yeah...okay."

"That is so much better than 'Iron Patriot'." Tony turned the car around in the middle of the road as Becca pointed out the multiple TV trucks in the back of a hall that was holding their 'Miss Chattanooga Christmas Pageant'. "Thanks buddy."

"Becca, be careful and take care of your father."

"Always do. Thanks, Uncle Rhodey," Becca reassured, putting the papers neatly back in the folder.

The call was cut off as they pulled into the parking lot. The back of the building was a mess of people from news to police to EMTs to whatever else was needed. This was clearly a major event for the small town. Tony had pulled the cowboy had he stole from Harley low on his face and grabbed a role of cable to throw over his shoulder to blend in. Becca, however, snatched a press lanyard that was hanging from a guys pocket and looped it around her neck, keeping her head tall to act like she belonged there.

Becca took the lead, side stepping a few people, but making her way straight to the news van that she just so happen to see someone step out of. They listened as the man was arguing with someone on the phone, clearly not paying attention to what was happening to his van, and jumped in. Tony took charge, quickly making work of the equipment so that they could work but nothing would affect the regularly scheduled programming.

"That ain't gonna cut it," he explained showing an incredibly slow internet speed.

"I'll get on the roof and re-calibrate the signal," she told him, shedding her hoodie to help her climb easier. "Two taps yes, three taps no."

"Thank you, favorite daughter of mine!"

"Only daughter!" she called back, exiting the van. Becca raced around the the front and hopped up on the bumper to the hood and finally to the top of the van. It was a mess of wires that explained why the low signal, more wires powering things that they didn't need to be. Keeping her body low to be less conspicuous, she worked through the lines, making necessary changes.

It took two tries, but finally Tony tapped back with just two taps letting her know they were set to go. Skipping the long route, she jumped down from the back, opening the door and getting back inside.

"Oh em gee! You're here too!"

Becca turned quick at the new voice inside the van, to see a man over the moon in joy with Tony standing there.

"Bec, this is Gary," Tony gestured to the guy, "he's a big fan."

She tried to give Gary a simple smile, but the man was nearly jumping out of his skin and it was making her nervous. "Hey…"

"Jeeze, you're even prettier in person." Gary's eyes going gaga at the girl.

"Okay!" Tony slapped his hand down hard on the guy's shoulder, "you have a mission to do Gary. Can you do it?"

"Absolutely. Yes, anything for you."

"Great, now go take watch."

Gary saluted the both of them before jumping out of the van, leaving the both Stark's reeling a bit from the intensity.

"Did he look eerily similar to you?" she asked, remembering the guys full appearance.

"Don't start." Tony didn't go any further with the assessment, just walking back over to the computer.

Becca watched over his shoulder as he worked through the background to get to National Security Contractors login with Rhodey's information and found his way through full access of the AIM web drive. Through a quick search, he was able to find an interview from Chad Davis under a private folder through what they were calling 'Project Extremis'.

The next name under his was the same redhead from earlier, Ellen Brandt. In the video though, her left arm was severed right above her elbow, when she definitely had both arms an hour ago. The next still was a man with long blonde hair, explaining that "injections being given periodically. Addiction will not be tolerated and those who cannot regulate will be out from the program".

Tony pointed his finger at screen. "It's you."

"Who?" Becca looked back and forth from the screen to her father, not knowing the man at all.

"Aldrich Killian. I had a run in with him many years back but blew him off. And to top it off he met with Pepper a few days back to discuss something," he quickly explained, searching for more videos.

"Are you serious?" her eyes nearly popping out of her head by each piece of the puzzle falling into place.

A new video played of Aldrich saying, "Once misfits, cripples...you are the next iteration of human evolution."

The next was 'Injections Tests Phase 01' from back in 2009. Clearly when they first started. It was a scene of people being ushered into an underground lab. Nurses and doctors strapping the participants into contraptions and injecting something into an IV in their bodies. As the injection ran through their bodies, some eyes started glowing orange like they had witnessed first hand. They watched as others had limbs start to regrow in what looked like a molten lava formation. The others weren't taking it well at all and were screaming in significant pain. It turned into a rush of time to get people out of there now, as only minutes later the man was glowing from the inside out and exploded.

"A bomb is not a bomb when it's a misfire." Tony whispered in the small van.

Her words from the car ride earlier came back to haunt her. "They blew up from the inside out."

"The stuff doesn't always work, right? It's faulty, but he found a buyer."

"Sold it to the Mandarin. That's a new definition of suicide bomber."

Tony started quickly signing off of everything. "We need to go, I need to get my suit, we've got work to do."

Becca was silent watching him go about his business, finally speaking up when he was exiting the van. "Wait! What did Aldrich want with Pepper?"

Up Next: Father/Daughter letting their walls down and fighting the 'Mandarin'

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Where Are You Now - The Moderates

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

We are a week away from Endgame, and I'm emotional not prepared. I just want everyone to know that I will not be spoiling it here or on my Tumblr for anyone.

I'm also very excited because there is only about 30min left of IronMan3 after this chapter and then we get to play around in Becca's world again.

Where Are You Now

But it's enough to make it hurt

Running everything you said back through my mind

Oh I'm sorry, for what I said

But without you I feel so dead

Please come back, and stay with me

I'm begging you, I'm on my knees

Where are you now

I don't know

December 23, 2012

"I'm so sorry, Steve."

The grip on the phone was tight. Any more pressure added would for sure crush the device and that's not something that needed to happen at this moment. It wouldn't be the first time he forgot his strength in a way that overtook his own anger. That anger right now was directed towards himself and only himself.

He was on the phone with Natasha, the redhead scolding him for not letting her know that he was still heading to California even though they had no idea where Becca was.

"You flew to Malibu and no one knew where you jetted off to-"

"-Eve knew." Steve corrected Natasha, almost hearing the growl come through the phone.

"Not the point, Rogers!" Natasha all but threw her fist through the wall. "I've got you running off, Clint calling me up non stop asking if I've heard anything and wondering if he should fly out, Fury is having meetings with D.C. because two very high profiled people are missing, and I get to play secretary. You should learn now that I don't do very well with being left on the sidelines."

He listened to her, understanding where she was coming from, but Steve could only see one path right now and that finding Becca. "She would do the same for us, Natasha."

"I know that! You don't think I know that?" She was seeing red at that point. "I've have been partners with her for years. I was on that end of that when Clint and Becca stole a jet to get me out of suicide mission. I know Becca, I know her very well."

Steve could basically hear the 'I know her better than you' in the tone of her voice. As that was running through his head, Natasha kept on talking and Steve could hear the beeping in the line. An unknown number trying to get him to answer. But he let it go.

She was right there. Becca was a phone line away and he missed it. It was fate. She always joked that she talked to his voicemail more than himself on the phone. Of course that's what would happen at the very worst moment. And now all he could do was repeat the message over and over again.

"I'm so sorry, Steve."

The words ripped through him each time, playing over and over like his own demise.

Steve stood on the edge of the once pristine and luxurious Stark Mansion. It was a destruction zone. The construction crew had their equipment still surrounding the plot, but it was empty now that night had fallen. A simple move of his boot had gravel falling over the edge, splashing into the dark waters below him. His mind started playing games with him, as if he was watching her body fall the same way the rocks did into the ocean. Her hands reaching up to him, her face in terror, as if asking why he didn't catch her in time. The same horrible image he had of Bucky on the train.

But she was alive and she picked him to call. Not to mention she apologized to him for basically telling him she was alive. Why not Eve or Natasha or Clint? Because Natasha was right, the three of them had a deeper and longer relationship with Becca than Steve did. But she was the only one he had at every turn since he awoke. So did she know that and was trying to reassure him?

He shook his head, hand coming up to rub his eyes hard. Steve needed to stop over thinking just like she always told him to. How he wished she was in front of him saying it was an eyeroll and soft smile.

With one last deep breath and he did as he was told, finding the contact in his phone, waiting for the answer.

"Hey Eve."

The seat warmer was the best luxury to exist. Becca had curled into the leather seat, allowing her body to rest for the first time in 48 hours at this point. Every ache and cut falling from her mind for a small amount of time. Eyes closed, mind somewhere between asleep and awake. Just resting as the car continued to move beneath her. As a child Becca had a habit of always falling asleep in a car. When she was wasn't the one driving, it was something that continued into her teens and even now as a young adult.

The girl was suddenly feeling her body being flown forward, no doubt hitting the dashboard if not for the seat belt digging into her chest. Her hazel eyes were now wide open, hands grabbing secure objects of the car around her, as she comprehended the fact that her father was slamming on the hands pulling the steering wheel hard to the right, tires skidding to a stop on the grabel of the side of the road.

"What the hell is going on?" Becca's voice was high pitched as she looked over at Tony. He was sweating but pale as a ghost, hands trembling when he pulled them off the wheel.

"Actually, sir, it is charging." Jarvis' voice coming through the car speakers. "But the power source is questionable. It may not succeed in revitalising the Mark 42." The AI explained, now Becca knowing it was the charging of the suit that brought on the near car accident.

"What's questionable about electricity?" Tony began to argue with the AI. "Alright? It's my suit-and then-I can't...I'm not gonna..I don't wanna-" He had to stop talking, heavy breathing the only thing coming out instead.

"Dad?" Becca's voice was soft, but also questionable. She could see the panic steadily rising in his entire body.

"Oh God, not again." He managed to speak out before opening the car door and pulling himself out.

"Dad!" She no longer kept her voice low as the younger Stark ripped the seat belt off of herself to get out on her own side.

"Tony?" Harley now questioned through the car phone. "Are you having another attack? I didn't even mention New York."

"Right, and then you said it by name while denying having said it." Tony's voice was full blown panic, body falling to the ground below him.

Becca fell down to her knees next to him. "Hey, Dad, you have to calm down. Take a deep breath." He only answered with a shake of his head, arms wrapped tight around his own body. Eyes refusing to meet her own.

He was having a full blown panic attack, but wasn't trying to show his daughter. "God, what am I gonna do."

"First, you need to breath." Becca's voice becoming valm, trying to be the stable one in this situation. "It's just a suit. You don't need it."

"There is no Iron Man without the suit. So I-I can't-"

"You're Tony Stark first. You excel in stressful situations."

Tony closed his eyes tight, head still shaking. "With the suit."

She sighed, watching him continued to doubt himself. "You're a mechanic. You built the suit, you are the suit." Becca tapped the blue device in his chest, getting his attention. "You build all of your own devices, right?"

Tony looked up at his daughter now, nerves starting to calm as her words were sinking in. "...right."

She smiled at him, the same one he remembered from the first time Tony saw her on his doorstep. "Then build something."

It was like they were the magic words that he needed to hear. His once glassy eyes became clear and color started returning to his face. Tony nodded his head and let Becca help him back to a standing position. "You're right."

Becca snorted at his change of demeanor in a second. "As if you're surprised." Tony turned to get back in the driver seat but was quickly stopped. "I'm driving."

The father was about to try to play off his panic attack from literally a second ago, but his daughter's face held the one expression he could never say no to. So, Becca dropped behind the wheel, seeing that the call was still there.

"Harley, you still with me?"

"Yeah, I'm here." The boy's voice came through the speakers. "I didn't mean to freak him out-"

"-It's okay, kid." She cut him off to not bring them back to the previous situation. Becca watched Tony settle into the passenger side, sinking low into the seat to hopefully calm down. "How we doing Jarvis?"

"Very well, Ms. Stark. I believe I have found the exact address for you of the latest Mandarin signal in Miami, Florida."

Becca typed the address into the car's GPS. A ten hour drive ahead of them. She thanked Harley and disconnected the call. The atmosphere quiet for a few minutes, allowing each of them to settle back down. But all Becca wanted to do was ask questions, but she also didn't want to throw him into another panic attack.

"Hands at 10 and 2." Tony broke the silence, getting a chuckle out of his daughter, but she did as she was told nonetheless. The words reminding them both of simpler times when she was 15 and just started out driving. She was a natural at it, like she was almost anything she put her head into, but he would say that to her as if he could give her one small piece of critique.

"I've never been in an accident." She smiled, getting more comfortable in the driver's seat.

"Give it time."

"So...are we going to talk about it." Becca's words weren't as cautious as before. "Because we've got a long drive ahead of us and we both know it needs to be brought up."

Tony sighed, fingers tapping on the window sill. "I'm fine, Bec."

"You know, you say that a lot. Especially the past 4 years when things have been less than fine."

He shook his head. "It's nothing you have to worry about."

The words finding a pocket of anger inside of her from always hearing that. "Yes I do. I'm not a kid anymore-"

"-Yes, you are!" Tony's voice the most determined she had heard directed at her in very long time. "You are my kid, that doesn't matter what age you are. You will also be my kid."

Becca didn't say anything, honestly she didn't know what to say. Because she didn't like to bother him with her problems either. Neither one of them wanted to bleed on the other. Too stubborn and too independent for their own good sometimes. Tony didn't want to seem weak to his daughter, while Becca didn't want her father to always look at her as the 4 year old girl who only knew confusion when her grandparents died. There was a laundry list of emotions and problems that had been bottled up for far too long.

"Then don't talk to me about it." Her voice no louder than a whisper. "But find someone you can. Someone that won't try to 'I'm sorry' you to death or pity you, whatever it is your worried about."

And it was that type of comment that made him always see the girl next to him as the young woman she had turned into. With a beautiful brain and giant heart. A girl who had also fought in the same battle, and we had neglected making sure she was doing alright. "Do you talk to anyone about it?"

"I've had conversation with Natasha, Clint, Fury, but that's always more work related." Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter. "But mostly it's…"

He easily caught on to where she was going with this. "Steve?" He watched her nod. "Why are you so timid to talk about him around me. I mean I let you invite him to Thanksgiving and Christmas for God sake."

A laugh was followed by a small shrug. "I don't know."

Watching his daughter get flustered over the man was the moment a year or so later point that he should have seen it coming. He just wanted to see his daughter happy, the same as she did for him.

December 24, 2012

The trained spy flipped over the stone wall, landing on the shoulders of the security guard, catching him by surprise. Becca managed to sue her weight to push him towards the ground and slam his head in the concrete to knock him out. She snuck through the garden of the giant mansion's landscape, finding her next two victims. Pulling the rope off her waist, she snuck up the few stairs to wrap the rope around the first man's neck and choking him. She used the weight from the man to hold onto the rope tight and swing her body up, kicking the head of the second guy. Once her feet were back on the ground, the agent used the rest of the rope to hook around his neck as well. The two men falling to her feet, gasping for air, before they became unconscious.

With a few more security guards taken down in her wake, Becca found herself in the mansion. The backdoor led her into a disgusting kitchen that looked like a halfway house, and the scene didn't get any better as she snuck through each room. Trash, drugs, and alcohol littered every surface. Becca held the tactical knife up close to her chest upon hearing movement in the room next to her. She peaked around the corner and, thankfully, found only her father. Tony did his own quick turn at seeing his daughter.

The duo were decked out in weapons they had put together at a hardware store earlier that day on the way to Miami. Tony creating bombs and electrical gadgets, Becca sticking to simple weapons. But know, Tony had also held a gun that he had taken from one of the hentchmen along his own entry.

"You know, I was expecting better security if this is where the Mandarin is being kept." Becca whispered, following behind Tony, keeping eyes open behind them for anymore guards.

"Let's hope Jarvis was right about this place." Tony quietly opened a double doored room, each stopping one of the doors from hitting the wall not to alert anyone they were there.

At first glance it looked to be a control room. TVs and computers set up around them. The images of the Ten Rings symbol along with a still of the Mandarin sitting with a man dead at his feet. But the equipment was just the first few steps into the rather large room, with various partitions about 5 feet wide in the middle of the room.

Becca glanced around one, seeing a bed set up in the corner. She motioned for Tony to take a look, lumps under the covers that looked to be a person's body. The father and daughter team tiptoed to opposite sides of the bed, gun and knife raised respectively.

With a silent countdown, they flipped the comforter off the bed, but they were not exposing what they expected. Two young woman, scantily clad, sat up in the bed in shock. That same shock was passed to the family who looked on in disbelief. There wasn't much time for anything as the sound of a toilet flushing broke through the quiet room. Becca took quick look around for a hiding spot, using the bed's high headboard along with Tony.

"Wow! I wouldn't go in there for twenty minutes." An english accent laughed, walking through the room. It was a higher pitch than the Mandarin, not to mention different accent. As the man talked to the two woman about fortune cookies and nonsense, Becca took a peak and was even more surprised to see it was the man she had seen on TV.

Tony and Becca switched place so he had the initial contact with this guy. A simple 'Hey!' with the gun raised taking the man off guard.

He immediately heaved up both bands in surrender, eyes not able to stay on one person long. "Bloody hell, bloody hell."

"Don't move."

"I'm not moving." The english accent truly spot on now. "You want something? Take it. Although, the guns are all fake because those wankers wouldn't trust me with the real ones."

Honestly, Becca didn't know she could get more confused by each second but it was happening. "What?"

"Hey, do you fancy either of the birds?" He motioned to the two women still in bed.

Tony's own confusion was turning into anger. "I've heard enough. You're not him, the Mandarin, the real guy. Where!" He yelled, cocking the gun for action as Becca raced to the other side of the bed to block the exit. "Where's the Mandarin? Where is he!"

"Woah, woah, woah." The man scuttled to his seat in fear. "He's here...but he's not here. He's here, but he's not here."

"What do you mean?"

"It's coml-hey, it's complicated."

"It is."

"It's complicated."

Tony's eyes were flaring. "Uncomplicated it."

"Ladies out of the bed." Becca motioned with the knife at the two women. "Get in the bathroom. Let's go!" she made sure they were inside before closing the door, turning back to see Tony turned towards her. "I don't understand."

"You're telling me." Their voices were low as the attempted to regain their thoughts.

"We have to be smart about this. We can't have more blood on our hands than what's already happen."

"I'm starting to think we came into something different."

As Becca nodded in agreement, movement caught her eye. She threw the knife away from her body, landing in the carpet, blade inbedded a few inches away from where the man was trying to crawl his way out of the room.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, turning back around.

"Sit!" Tony had the gun poised back at his head.

Becca grabbed the knife, this time standing next to the man, blade against his throat. "I promised that next time it will go through a body part." He gulped, not looking at her from fear. "Now talk."

"My name's Trevor. Trevor Slattery."

"What are you?" Tony stepped closer. "What are you, a decoy? You're a double, right?"

"What, you mean like an understudy? No absolutely not."

Becca changed the position of the knife to against his cheek, pressing in the black just enough to make him a tad more anxious.

"Don't hurt the face!" Trevor exclaimed. "I'm an actor."

She looked back at Tony, not even knowing what to do with this guy anymore. "You got a minute to live," Tony raised the gun higher, "fill it with words."

"It's just a role." Trevor breathed easier as Becca took the knife away. "The Mandarin." His voice getting deeper at the name. "See, it's not real."

"Then who are you, Trevor?" Becca questioned. "How did you get here?"

"Um…" He sat further back in his chair with a STark on either side, weapon raised. "Well, I, umm, had a little problem...with, um, substances. And I ended up doing things, no two ways about it, in the street that a man shouldn't do."

"Next?" Tony was feeling pressure that someone might enter at any moment if they didn't get him to explain everything soon.

"They, they approached me about the role, and they knew about the drugs."

Becca could also feel the prickling on the back of her neck. "What did they say, they'd use it against you if you didn't help them?"

"They said they'd give me more." The entire house now making sense. "They gave me things. They gave me this gave me plastic surgery. They gave me things…" Trevor barely finished the sentence as his eyes closed and started snoring.

"Did he just nod off?"

"You gotta be kidding me." Becca kicked his leg, immediately getting him to wake up.

"And a lovely speedboat." He kept going as if he didn't just fall asleep. "And the thing was, he needed someone to take credit for some accidental explosions."

"He?" Becca questioned, tired of this joke of a man.

"Killian?" Tony's anger to a point of his own explosion.

"Killian." Trevor agreed.

"He created you?"

"He created me."

"A custom-made terror threat." Tony put the idea together.

There was the final chess piece of the problem at hand. Killian disguised his problems with this 'Project Extremis' to look like a terrorist attack from an actual terror organization. He didn't sell it to anyone, he was just shifting blame while also trying to get on the good side of the government.

Tony and Becca stepped away from him. The drugged up Trevor clearly not the threat.

"Yes!" Trevor stood up and bumbled about his business. "His think tank thinked it up." He opened a few beers, his voice turning back into the one he used as the Mandarin. "The pathology of a serial killer. The manipulation of Western iconography. Ready for another lesson. Blah, blah, blah." Tony took the seat the seat now, while Becca paced back and forth. "Of course, it was my performance that brought the Mandarin to life."

The pacing stopped as Becca couldn't handle the 'I-don't-care' attitude from him anymore. "Your performance? People died! That blood is also on your hands."

"No, they didn't." Trevor motioned around the room. "Look around you. The costumes, green screen. Oh, honestly I wasn't on location for half this stuff. When I was it was movie magic, love."

Tony shook his head, standing back up. "I'm sorry, but I got a best friend who's in a coma and he might not wake up. So, you're gonna have to answer for that. You're still going down, pal."

Becca noticed the eye movement first from Trevor, before feeling the presence behind her. The grip on her knife tightened as she turned. It was only a split second of seeing the same guy she had battle in Tennessee the night before, when she was knocked out.

There was one thing about waking up screaming from a nightmare. It was another to waken to pain filling your entire body, the scream lasting after you've already opened your eyes. Then the pain was gone, replaced with a tingle running through her legs.

"Good morning, princess."

Becca blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the room. She saw a man a few feet in front of her, clearly the one who had just spoken to her. Upon a second look she recognized him from the videos, Aldrich Killian. That's when her sense went in overdrive. She looked to her left in the opposite corner to find her father zip tied to a metal bed frame that was standing on the boom to be up straight. At that, she looked down at herself, feeling her hands duct taped behind her back, hooked to the chair she sat in. Legs taped to the legs of the chair and then wrapped in exposed wires. Clearly the source of the pain.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Well," Killian rubbed his hands together with a smile, "I was just about to explain but I really wanted you to be awake to understand that this is all your father's fault."

As he paced back to the middle of the room, Becca now took notice to another person in the room. It was Maya, the same woman that showed up at their house before the destruction happen. "Did he not buy you a pony, too? I always wanted one but never got it." Her sarcasm thick at the true monster in front of her.

The blonde man gave a high laugh, but clearly not actually thinking it was funny. "She's funny." He said to Tony, before going to a device back towards Becca.

"Family trait." Tony said, uneasy for what was about to happen. But then it was clear as the man turned on the box once again, electricity shocking Becca the same way it did to get her to wake up. He could only listen to her scream for a second before yelling himself. "Enough, Killian! This has nothing to do with her!"

Killian turned it off after 5 seconds. "Why is that, Tony?" He ignored the heavy breathing girl to go back to his original place. "I mean she was right about similarities. You left your daughter alone on New Years, just like you left me on the rooftop in Switzerland, but I'm guessing you left her alone many more times than just that as a child. Am I right?"

Neither Stark said anything. This was touching a place to vulnerable for either of them to get started in right now.

And Killian noticed. "You know Tony, you gave both of us gifts that you didn't even do anything with. Rebecca has turned into a successful, independent woman in New York. Fighting her own battles."

Becca didn't know if the words were specifically directed at her work, if he had found that out. But the glare was directed towards him no matter what.

"You gave me the fit of anonymity, Tony." Killian thanked the man. "It's been my mantra ever since. You simply rule from behind the scenes. Because the second you give evil a face, a bin Laden, a Gaddafi, a Mandarin, you hand the people a target."

Tony didn't give him much emotion. "You're something else."

Killian sat down at a desk, opening a case. "You have met him, I assume."

"Yes. Sir Lawrence Oblivier."

"I know he's a little over the top sometimes. It's not entirely my fault. He's a tendon-he's a stage actor."

"So you ruined a person's life." Becca commented.

"He was already doing that himself. I just gave him an opportunity." Killian explained. "They say his Lear was the toast of Croydon, whatever that is. Anyways, the point is, ever since that big dude with the hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety has kind of had its day."

It was amazing and made sense why so many people were on his side. He had a knack of selling the worst thing and getting you to want to buy it. A ture salesman, or politician.

"What's next for you in your world?" Tony finally looked at him.

"Well, I wanted to repay you the selfsame gift that you so graciously imparted to me." He held up three silver balls he had taken out of the case and rolled them onto the concrete floor. They settled in a triangle, that allowed Killian to turn them on with a remote. A lifesize image was projected of Pepper in the same type of contraption they had seen in the video of the other people being experimented on. The same orange glow flowing through her body.

"Desperation." Killian sighed. "Now, this is live. I'm not sure if you can tell, but at this moment the body is trying to decide whether to accept Extremis or just give up."

Both Starks couldn't believe what they were watching as the woman they each loved was being tortured. Becca watched a Pepper screamed out in pain, but they couldn't hear it. Tony couldn't even watch anymore. Tears in both of their eyes.

"And if it gives up," the man continued, "I have to say, the detonation is quite spectacular. But until that point, it's really just a lot of pain. And speaking of pain," Killian stood up, going back to that same device Becca was strapped to, "maybe you can make it up to your daughter right now. This here will give Becca a shock of electricity every minute and each time enhancing the hertz until eventually," he turned the device on to send a 5 second bolt of electricity towards her, screaming the whole time, "her heart stops."

He laughed, smoothing away the hair on her face so Tony could clearly see the pain on his daughter's face. "So who are you going to save, Stark? The woman that you supposedly love or your precious baby girl?"

Tony couldn't breath, watching the two most important things in his life being tortured right in front of him. He'd rather die himself than have either of them hurt.

KIllian left the machine, keeping it running so the seconds official started counting down, and turned off the live stream of Pepper. "We haven't even talked salary yet." He came close to Tony to wrap a hand around his throat. "What kid of perk package are you thinking of?"

"Let him go." Maya spoke up for the first time.

"Hold on, hold on." Killian did let him to, turning to find the woman holding something near her neck. "Maya…"

"I said, let him go! Let them both go."

"What are you doing?"

"1200 CCs. A dose half of this size, I'm dead."

"It's times like this my temper is tested somewhat." He spoke again like everything else was normal. "Maya, give me the injector."

"If I die, Killian, what happens to your soldiers? What happens to your product?" She took steps back.

"We're not doing this, okay." He was taking steps forward.

"What happens to you? What happens if you go too hot?"

Killian took an angered deep breath, looking at Becca and then Tony. Not even looking away, he pulled out his gun and shot Maya in the chest, sending her to the floor. "The good news is, a high-level position has just been vacated."

It was that point Tony knew there wasn't anything he wouldn't do. "You are a maniac."

"No, I'm a visionary." Killian began his walk up the stairs to leave. "But I do own a maniac and he takes the stage tonight." He did stop for a second to look back at Becca with a grin. "I'll be sure to come back when I know you'll be on your last shock."

The both of them watched as he exited the room, leaving a mess in his wake. Becca didn't say anything just started working on trying to free her hands, but her eyes kept falling back on the timer that was 10 seconds away.

"Bec." Tony called out.

"Hold on." She said through gritted teeth, watching as each second got closer. This time she was able to brace herself for the five second shock, but it didn't matter much as the increased hertz each time. "Damn it!" She yelled loud as the shock faded. Exhaustion wanted to settle into her body, but she had to put mind over matter to start to get out of this situation.

"You okay?" He asked hesitantly. He obviously knew she wasn't actually okay, but it made him feel better to see how she felt.

"Personally angry that I can't get out of this tape faster." She tried to twist her wrists, but they were clearly wrapped multiple times, making this a lot harder than she thought.

"Should I be worried that you've been in this situation before?" Tony tried pulling his own arms out of the zip ties.

"More than once. But I'm still alive aren't I?" She worked her arms up and down, eyes constantly going back to the never ending clock.

"Not the time." He looked to see the watch Harley had given him was taken off and sitting over on the table. "The suit should be powered up any minute now."

"Hopefully before my heart stops." The comments that always came when she was in a nervous situation were starting, getting a glare from her father. "Right, sorry."

Footsteps started echoing in the chamber, the sound coming closer and closer to them. Finally two males, with obvious cocky attitudes, made themselves known.

"Oh, good. The cavalry's here." Tony looked over the two guards that took their place on each side of the room.

The one man, with a ponytail, laughed that was closer to Becca, looking at the clock. "We're just here to see the show."

She had taken her eyes off the device for a second too long, turning back to see only a second left before another shock with sent through her body. Instead of letting the pain out through screaming, she focused it towards her wrists, using whatever harbored strength to try to rip through the tape. By the time it was done, she hadn't ripped through, but was able to move them a bit easier, building a sweat in between her skin and the tape.

The two men chuckled and sat down, ready for the long hall. They all sat in silence, the men watching over the two. There really was nothing to say. Even when Becca went through another minute, the tape getting looser each time, but the pain was getting worse.

Beeping began echoing off the walls, getting everyone's attention. The second man looked for the object on the table in front of him, finding Harley's watch was the one beeping. The alarm for when the suit should be fully powered.

"Careful there," Tony spoke up, "it's a limited edition." The first man got up from his spot, coming to see what the problem was. "Hey, ponytail express, what's the mileage count between Tennessee and Miami."

"832 miles." He answered with no problem, gun casually in his hand.

"Very nice."

"I'm good like that." The first man said to the second as he came over to the two, still carrying the beeping watch. "Can you, ugh, stop that?"

"Break it, you bought it." Tony told him, the whole interaction allowing Becca to discreetly work through her tape.

The man dropped the watch to the floor and smashed it with his heel. "I think I bought it."

"Okay, that wasn't mine to give away. That belongs to my friend's sister. And that's why I'm gonna kill you first."

"What are you gonna do to me?"

"You'll see."

"You're zip tied to a bed."

"This!" Tony put his palm up, expecting at that moment for the suit to come flying in. "That!" He tried again, but still no suit. Just the two men watching him as if he completely lost his mind.

Another minute had gone by though, sending Becca through an episode. She couldn't help the scream this time, but after the initial pain wore off she could feel a small tear through the tape on her right wrist.

"I think the person who's going to be down first is the princess here." The ponytailed man gestured to her fatigued state.

"Trust me," Tony kept it up though, "you're gonna be in a puddle of blood on the ground in five, four, three, Come on! Two…"

"How did we get this shift?" The watch breaker asked.

"Alright, I'm gonna give you a chance to escape. Put down your weapons. Tie yourselves to those chairs. I'll let you live. In five, four, bang!" It was a show he was putting on at this point. He knew the suit had to be here at any second, but also a second longer and Becca might not make it out. "You should be gone by now. You should've already been gone."

"I am just beyond terrified." Ponytail joked.

"Here it comes. Three, four-"

"-Shut up."

"Five, four three, two, one!" This was the moment. Tony's glove came breaking through the window attaching to his hand, hitting ponytail in the head on the way. "Told ya." He blasted the second guy, making the entire bed frame turn around.

In the chaos, Becca was able to rip off her right hand, not bothering with the other tape until she got the wires off her legs. Eyes moving back and forth from the clock to the wires to the battle scene her father had started fighting in front of her. Tony was able to rip his ties off with the glove, fighting the ponytailed man when his left boot showed up next. He had kicked him down, taking his gun in the process.

"Turn it off." Becca instructed Tony to the device, since she was having problems getting the wire off with only one hand. He did as was told, allowing Becca to pull the tape off her left wrist and Tony worked at the wires on her legs.

"Where's the rest?" He semi asked to himself, constantly turning towards the window for more of the suit.

"Not a clue." She pulled the last of the tape off as more guards began their descent down the steps.

Tony blasted towards them, catching the three guards by surprise having them duck for cover. Becca herself had to duck for cover as Tony attempted to fly with only one boot and opposite hand, not stabilized and sending bullets cascading around the room. On shaky legs, Becca stumbled towards the second man, grabbing his gun for some protection. It started to become a mess of bullets and pulses coming from each side. At one point, Becca had even wrapped the wires around a man's neck and turned the electricity on high. The fight was to stay alive.

Tony fought the men on the landing while Becca stuck to the floor. Once again, just like at the mansion, these guards truly weren't that skilled in combat. It only seemed like they had a decent sense of aim. By the time there was one man left, Becca had a gun at his head while Tony was pointing his own from above them on the landing.

"Honestly," the man let the gun go limp, allowing Becca to take it, "I hate working here. They are so weird."

"Get out." Becca growled the words at him, the man not taking a second to run out of the room. She looked around, not finding anyone else as a threat. "We're good."

"How are the legs?" Tony asked, watching her wobble just a bit.

"Functional." She carried herself up to the platform, a gun in each hand. "Let's go get Pepper." She started the walk down the hallway first, which was good since the rest of the suit finally decided to show up behind them.

"Better late than never." Tony turned his body in time to allow the suit pieces to attach to his body.

The duo found their way upstairs and straight outdoors. It looks like they had been moved into a small bunker but still on the same ground of the mansion.

"Not this time. Not the face." Tony caught the face mask, the final piece of the suit.

Becca peered up at the sky at the sound of something flying over head. A giant moving compound was flying over head, not as big as the helicarrier but it could give a simple boat a run for its money. In the opposite direction was something much smaller flying. From a distance it looked exactly like the Iron Man suit.

"Is that Rhodey?" The brunette pointed to the sky, looking back at her father for confirmation.

"It's the suit, but I can't call into it." He took a few steps back and raced forward as if he was going take off into the sky as well. But that wasn't happening, the thrusters misfiring. "Ah, crap."

Becca rolled her eyes, walking back to the main house. "Suit is working wonders."

"Zip it."

Becca was able to take down three more guards as Tony found a car battery to hook into his suit to get another charge from its cross country trip. With a call from Rhodey, explaining that that wasn't him in the suit, Tony had instructed him to meet them in the main house. The small family hid behind either side of the entrance to the living room, watching as two bodyguards ushered bikini clad woman out of the room where they were playing ping pong as Trevor slept in his chair, beer still in hand.

"What's this? I had winners." Tony walked out in the suit, getting the two guards to show him attention, firing their guns his way.

Rhodey took that opportunity to break through the window near Trevor, shooting one of the guards. Becca came around the corner and taking care of the other one.

Trevor watched in shock looking at Tony's new getup since the last time he had seen him. "What have you come as?"

"You make a move," Rhodey used his foot to push the man's chair backwards, having the higher ground, "I break your face." The gun inches away.

"I never thought people had been hurt." Trevor explained, the most stable they had seen him yet. "They lied to me."

"This is the Mandarin?" Rhodey turned to looked at the two with the same confusion they had earlier.

"It's been a day." Becca commented, guns poised at each doorway incase of more visitors.

"Hi, Trevor. Trevor Slattery." He held out his hand to shake Rhodey's, but the man just slapped it away. "I know, I'm shorter in person. A bit smaller, everyone says that. But, um, hey if you're here to arrest me, there's some people I'd like to roll on."

"Here's how it works, Meryl Streep." Tony talked over him. "You tell him where Pepper is and he'll stop doing it."

"Doing what?" Rhodey pressed the gun into his ear, burning it slightly with a shy squeeze of the trigger. "Oh! I get it! Ow! That hurt! I get it, I get it. I don't know about any Pepper, but I know about the plan."

"Spill." Tony said.

"Do you know what they did to my suit?" Rhodey asked after.

"What? No."

Becca shook her head. "He's literally useless for legit information."

"Hey," Trevor kind of took discord with the statement, "I do know it's happening off the coast. Something to do with a big boat. I can take you there. OH!"

Trevor yelled in celebration at the stupid soccer game he was watching, taking all three of them in a panic for a second. Becca had even turned to point both guns in his direction thinking something else was happen.

Rhodey was at his point though. "Tony, I swear to God, I'm gonna blow his face off."

"Oh, and this next bit may include the Vice President as well. Is that-Is that important?"

"Somewhat." Tony sighed.

"Yeah, a little bit." Rhodey's gun getting closer and closer.

Becca looked back and forth from her father to her uncle. "Okay, sidebar." The three stood in a tighter circle a couple steps away from the 'Mandarin'. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"I mean, we don't have any transport." Rhodey brought up that small fact.

A thought crossed through Tony's mind, turning back to Trevor. "Hey, Ringo. Didn't you say something about a lovely speedboat?"

Up Next: The battle! Plus special reunions ;)

The more reviews, the quicker the next chapter because you all give me inspiration!

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Heart Beat Here - Dashboard Confessional

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

In awe over the love that came from the last chapter, hope this can live up to what everyone wants! Because this is the end of Iron Man 3, the trilogy in general, and that's wild for me to think about.

So Endgame happen...twice for myself. I officially have each book planned out. Impulse will obviously end after The Winter Soldier, Book 3 is Age of Ultron & Civil War, and Book 4 is Infinity War & Endgame. That will be the entirety of the series. That is crazy for my to think about cause I feel like we're still only in the beginning of this adventure! But I'm excited for you all to see how I have the rest of this series planned out. Okay, I'm done now..have fun!

Heart Beat Here

Come on home and let yourself heal

You could sleep for a thousand years

I won't let you disappear

Let your heart beat here

You've been running far and wide

Doing what you hope is right

Chasing what you feel inside

I will take your path as mine

December 24, 2012

The wind blew against her face, the salty water easing into her senses. If there still wasn't a taste of dread in the back of her throat she could almost be in a state of peace. Or it was the two neurotic personalities that were fighting back and forth behind her.

"Becca, is this the fastest it goes?"

"Don't tell her to go faster. We have to be safe with commercial and civilian boats around us."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were on a bit of a time crunch."

"It won't help if we don't make it there in one piece."

The young girl cut the steering wheel of the boat back and forth, crashing into the wake on either side, before steering straight again. She could hear both Tony and Rhodey stumbling back and forth, officially getting them both to shut up.

"If either of you question my judgement, next time I'll make sure you're in the water." Becca looked over her shoulder with a steady glare to make her point.

"Noted." Tony nodded, still in the Iron Man suit. "If he's right about the location, we're 20 minutes from where Pepper is."

"But we also have to figure out this Vice President thing, right?" Rhodey asked, tone still uneasy.

"I wonder who I'm calling right now?" Tony held up the speedboat's phone, ringing on speaker. "Oh! That's the Vice President."

Becca rolled her eyes at the common sarcasm, but kept watch on where she was taking them. Trying to get to Pepper's location before night fall. Tony got a hold of a secret service member first before Vice President Rodriguez took the call.

"Sir, this is Tony Stark."

There was a breath of pause on the other end. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"We believe you're about to be drawn into the Mandarin campaign, and we gotta get you somewhere safe as soon as possible."

"Mr. Stark, I'm about to eat honey-roast ham surrounded by the agency's finest. The President's safe on Air Force One with Colonel Rhodes. I think we're good here."

Rhodey shook his head, speaking up. "Sir, this is Colonel Rhodes. They're using the Iron Patriot as a Trojan horse. They're gonna take out the President somehow. We have to immediately alert that plane."

"Okay, I'm on it. I'll have security lock it down. If need be, they can have F-22s in the air in 30 seconds. Thank you, Colonel."

"Rhodes and Stark out." He ended the call.

"Okay," Becca now spoke up, "did anyone else not feel at ease with that conversation?"

"Agreed." Rhodey sided with his niece. "We gotta make a decision. We can either save the President or Pepper. We can't do both."

Tony didn't answer, just walked away, talking to Jarvis. If Becca had to pick she didn't think she could do so as a true Agent. As Lithe, she would have to pick the President because of the greater impact, but as Becca she would pick Pepper everytime. This was the time they always said the heart on her sleeve would be her double edged sword.

"We're going to do both." Tony's words taking both of them off guard. "There's enough power in the suit to send it up without me in it. I'll control it while we get to Pepper. There, done." He opened the suit, allowing him to walk out of it but stay in tact. "We good?"

Rhodey and Becca looked at each other with a shrug before nodding at Tony. "Fine by us."

"Great." Tony walked towards the cabin of the boat. "Let me know when we're there." He shut the door behind him and the Iron Man suit took off up in the air.

Becca sat back in the captain's chair, eyes constantly glancing at the gps to make sure they were going in the right direction. But the motion of her uncle pacing the length of the boat was wearing on her. "Not use to being on the sidelines?"

Rhodey chuckled but it didn't seem to real. "Something like that."

"Karma's a bitch. Maybe next time you will fill me in better on a terrorist attack."

He didn't take the bait she was dangling. "Turns out it wasn't a real terrorist anyways."

"You know damn well what I mean." Becca's hazel eyes rolled, grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I swear, I don't know how to make the two of you understand I'm not a child anymore."

He stopped pacing and sat down in the chair next to hers. "Because we still see you as the 5 year old who always wanted to pick all the flowers and take them home, or the 10 year old taking center stage in her ballet recital, or the 16 year old who was going on her first date."

"Yeah, and had Happy as a chaperone." She laughed, remembering the awkward moment for two shy teenagers.

"But what you didn't know was that your father and I spied on the whole thing."

"You did not!"

"Oh, we did." Rhodey truly chuckled now at the memory from almost 10 years ago. "Pepper tried to stop us but it wasn't happening. But my point is, you were always the one thing to keep out of harm's way. That's not something that will ever change."

"Then how…" Her words drifted, thinking too deeply for a second. "How am I supposed to do my job but also have you guys see that I'm self sufficient?"

"There's no denying that you aren't." He was quick to approve. "You're independent and smart and strong. You succeed in anything you put your mind to. Just know...we'll never not want to protect you."

Her life has been made up of her father, a mother figure, two uncles, and an AI raising her. When they say it takes a village, they weren't wrong. But now this was the opportunity to truly show them she was capable of saving herself. And most importantly, saving her family.

"Give me some good news, man." Rhodey opened the cabin door to see where Tony was at since they were getting close to the mark.

"I think they all made it."

"Oh, thank God." One good sign.

"Yeah, but I missed the President." And another hand of bad news.

Rhodey huffed in annoyance, the whole point of the mission. "You couldn't save the President with the suit, how are we gonna save Pepper with nothing?" He walked away.

"I swear," Becca shook her head, "you guys don't' know how to do anything without a suit."

"Yeah, well when you're fighting a fire-breathing dragon things turn complicated."

"Wait, Killian breathes fire as well?" She was answered with a dramatic nod of his head. "Oh great. Dude gets weirder every time."

"Where we at?" Tony stepped out of the cabin.

"Less than 10 minutes." Becca nswered, watching the sunset in the distance over the water. "We're going in blind. I mean, not just not knowing what we're walking into but also it's going to be dark."

The older Stark nodded, eyes watching the horizon as well. "We'll do what we're best at," Tony looked at his daughter with a smile on their previous conversations, "Improvise."

Becca took the lead, crouching low, gun raised as the trio ran across the dock. She started to climb the iron ladder, stopping just high enough to track what was going on on the main deck before them. The target was the Norco, an oil tanker that had spilled a million gallons of crude oil a few years back in Pensacola, Florida. Becca couldn't help but wonder if AIM had anything to do with that as well but there was no time for that. They had to find Pepper.

The agent watched a truck drive by, counting 5 seconds, and then finished her climb. She stayed crouched down as she ran to the first secure hiding spot in front of her. She did a quick survey of her surroundings before motioning an 'all clear' to Rhodey. He took the same route, followed by Tony.

Becca couldn't help but notice the uneasy expression falling over her father's face. "You going to be okay?"

"Hope so." The words weren't that secure but he was honest.

Becca and Rhodey switched back and forth lead, finding it very easy to pick up where the other left off. Very similar training on both hands. They got to about half way across the tanker before the group stopped behind another wall, staying out of sight of lights and snipers stationed on the multiple level tiers.

"Oh my God." Rhodey mumbled, taking a look through the stairs to their left. "He's strung up over the oil tanker. They're gonna light him up." He turned back towards them. Becca took her own look to see the President in the Iron Patriot suit just how Rhodey described, a thousand feet in the air.

"Viking funeral." Tony commented. "Public execution."

"Yeah, death by oil."

Becca turned back to the two men. Her mind set on what she had to do. "I'm going up."

"Excuse me?" Tony's eyes all but bugged out of his head. "How the hell are you going to do that?"

"I wasn't named Lithe for no reason." She tucked her gun in the back of her jeans before pulling her hair into a tighter ponytail. "I'm taking the main box at the top to be where the main frame is."

"You can't do that by yourself."

"And we can't stop Killian, save Pepper, and free the President all stuck together." She pointed out each fact on her fingers.

Rhodey nodded, the conversation the two of them had earlier rearing its head. "She's right." He received a smile from her. "Don't get killed." His finger pointed in her face.

"Right back at ya." Becca laughed, looking towards her father who she could tell was grinding his teeth. "Both of you."

With one last deep breath, Tony nodded, knowing this is what had to be done. That, and the fact that Becca got what she wanted when she wanted to do it. She gave them both one last smile before ducking under the stairs. The brunette slinked her way through the shadows, only taking down a few people silently, making sure she stayed hidden. It wasn't until she was about two flights away from the top when she heard the gun fire from the opposite side of the rig. Obviously, the guards trying to shoot down her fellow teammates.

Becca jumped to the floor above her, hands gripping the steel grids to pull her body through the bars. Something in the sky gained her attention as she came to a standing position. It was a bright light flying, but as it got closer, one light turned into many. Her shoulders relaxed as she saw that it was every single suit Tony had made and they were all surrounding the base. The next moment, each suit was attacking the Extremis soldiers, truly the only thing capable of killing the manipulated humans.

She wasn't paying attention for a second too long and one of the soldiers was only a few feet away from her now. She grabbed her gun and shot at the guy but it wasn't stopping him. Becca braced for impact, but it never came. The next thing she saw was one of the suits projecting him into the air.

"Thanks, Jarvis." She breathed out in a sigh, knowing the AI was controlling all the suits.

"My pleasure, Ms. Stark." The AI said before going to the next soldier.

Becca took the last steps to the final landing. Gun raised as she kicked the door open, she turned from let to right but didn't find anyone. Only Pepper strapped in.

"Pepper!" Becca was almost near tears at the sight before her.

"Becca?" Pepper looked over at the girl, surprised to find her there at all.

"Are you okay?" She rushed over. "I know, stupid question."

"God, I'm so happy to see you." It was her turn to be tearing up.

The younger girl looked over the device she was strapped to. "Let's get you out of here-"

"-I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Becca raised her gun high as Killian came around the corner. That stupid smirk always on his face.

"Great, you got the President. Let Pepper go." She cocked the gun directed at his head.

"I can't because, you see, one is to hold over your father's head and the other is to show the country the government's true colors."

That's when the gun rang out. Becca didn't hesitate as he took another step forward, sending a bullet between his eyes. They watched as he stumbled back a step, but not falling down. All Killian did was rub his forehead as if he had a major migraine.

"Damn," He looked up at her, allowing her to watch the bullet hole disappear, "I thought you were suppose to be the nice Stark."

"Shouldn't have electrocuted me, then we might have been able to talk it out."

Nothing else was said though as the room exploded. The blast coming in behind Killian, sending Becca backwards, straight out of the room. Becca didn't know how long she was falling before she landed on cold, hard steel. All sounds were muffled, body vibrating from pain, as she laid there. It's all she could do. It was the third day in a row that her body had been thrown and it was starting to catch up with her.

She knew, for once in her life, she knew she needed to call for backup. Explosions and fighting was happening every way she turned as her body finally sat up. But right in front of her was a holy grail, another office. Grabbing the bars to her left, Becca struggled to climb to a standing position, but kept moving her body before it decided to give out under her.

The office was empty of people but not of equipment. It was a similar set up of what they had seen in the mansion, screens and computers set up, ready to broadcast to the world. Becca didn't have to think twice about shutting the equipment down, just incase someone got in here. Her right hand was working with the computer while her left was dialing the phone number she knew by heart. Her eyes couldn't help but watch the insanity going on out the windows as the phone rang again.

"Fury." The voice grumbled through the phone line.

"It's Agent Bex, sir."

There was silence on the other end, obviously surprised to hear her voice. "Who brought you to my office the first time?"

Standard questioning to truly identify the person, something only they would know. "Crossbow." She answered, remembering the name she called Clint that first day.

Fury gave a giant sigh of relief. "Where the hell are you, agent?"

"I'm on the Norco, sir." Becca was relieved he believed her. "Long story short, Aldrich Killian, is behind the Mandarin. He's the creator of AIM and has been running genetic tests on people, regrowing cells and more. We have the President," she explained watching out the window to see Rhodey getting the Commander-in-Chief back on safe ground, "and have a feeling the Vice President is in on it."

"Alright, I'm on it. Stay put, Agent. I don't need you running off again."

As Becca disconnected the line, something was drawing her attention in the distance. She stumbled out of the office, watching as the scene didn't change. Tony was reaching up from a base, hand stretched out to another one that was dangling above. The wisps of blonde hair hanging was her indicator that it was Pepper.

But the next second, Becca's breath was being sucked out of her, knees falling to the steel grates under her feet.

Pepper fell.

Her body falling through the air before she was engulfed by the flames below her. It almost didn't seem real but it was too real as the echo of her scream ran through Becca's head. She closed her eyes, holding the bar tight in her grip as her own scream ripped from her body. Two people now have been killed in front of her, two people that meant the world to her. That was her mom.

Hazel eyes opened again, the sound of fighting waking her to see Tony and Killian on the middle rig. She needed to do something, she wanted to make him hurt. Becca noticed the sniper rifle a floor below her. She crawled between the bars and dropped down, ignoring any pain that was flaring through her. Taking aim, the agent shot at Killian, giving her father time to change suits when he needed. She was being the annoying, needling in his back, never able to fully fight.

But after so long the bullets had ran out. The good news though was as she watched, Tony ordered the Mark 42 to suit up Killian, finding control over him.

"Hold on, Ms. Stark." A suit landed in front of her.

Becca didn't think for a second as she was carried through the air, watching as Mark 42 exploded with Killian inside of it. The explosion taking down the whole middle rig. Jarvis carefully placed Becca on safe ground, immediately having her run towards where her father was.

"Dad!" She saw him propped up on the ground. "Are you okay?" She kneeled down.

"Bec…" Tony's eyes looking over his daughter for any major injuries, with not finding nay he remembered the circumstance that he had to tell her. "I'm sorry, Becca. I'm sorry, I couldn't catch her."

She could only shake her head, not being able to comment on it. Then the sound of metal being moved took them by surprise, movement coming from inside the fire of destruction. Becca grabbed a metal bar that had been broken apart and stood over her father as they watched a burning Killian emerge from the fire. Tony tried to move, but his ankle had been hurt in the fall, Becca using herself as a shield as the monster stumbled closer.

"No more false faces." Killian grumbled. "You said you wanted the Mandarin, you're looking right at him. It was always me, right from the start." He grabbed the same bar as Becca, forcing her down to her knees. "I am the Mandarin!"

A pipe came flying through the air, knocking Killian off his feet, being held by none other than Pepper Potts.

Tony and Becca could only watch in utter shock as she stood there, the same orange fire running through her body. "I got nothing." The great Tony Stark was speechless.

Another suit came flying into their area, still seeking out heat signatures. Now coming for Pepper.

"Jarvis, subject at my 12 o'clock is not a target! Disengage!" But the AI didn't back off because Tony's in-ear had fallout out during the fall. The suit fired at Pepper, who dodged it before glaring at Tony. "What? Oh, what, are you mad at me?"

Pepper ran at Tony, using his knee as a boast to jump in the air and burn a fist through the suit, slamming it into the ground. She pulled on the arm, allowing the glove to conform to her hand, spinning around to knock back Killian again as he got up. She kicked a missile towards him and used the pulser to detonate it. Killian exploding this time, with nothing left to regrow.

"Holy shit." Becca breathed out, watching the entire scene on bated breath.

"Honey…" Tony called out cautiously.

Pepper looked at her family with wide eyes, before turning back to the scene as if it was all clicking together what she just did. "Oh my God. That was really violent."

"You just scared the devil out of me. I thought you were-"

"-I was dead." Pepper walked towards them. "Why? Because I feel 200 feet?"

"Into a fiery pit." Becca recounted, standing on shaky legs.

"Who's the hot mess now?" She joked, still reeling.

"It's still debatable, probably tipping your way a little bit." Tony put his in-ear back where it belonged. "Why don't you dress like this at home? Hmm? Sports bra, the whole deal."

Becca gently helped Pepper take off the arm, the older woman just letting her go through the motions. "You know, I think I understand why you don't want to give up the suits." Peppers watched the arm drop to the ground. "What am I going to complain about now?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Becca answered for him. She gently went into hug Pepper but was pushed away.

"No, Bec! I'm gonna burn you!"

"No, you're not." She placed a hand on her arm to show her, the glow no longer taking over her form. Pepper watched in relief and quickly grabbed the girl into a hug. Tears in both of their eyes as they held on tighter and tighter to one another. After Pepper thought she lost Becca in the mansion destruction, and now Becca watching her fall into the fire, it was enough to have them both desperate for each other.

"Am I gonna be okay?" Pepper asked Tony, who was now standing next to both of them as the woman seperated.

"No." He answered, a hand resting on her waist. "You're in a relationship with me. Everything will never be okay. But I think I can figure this out, yeah. I almost had this 20 years ago when I was drunk. I think I can...get you better." The next words directed towards Becca. "That's what I do. I fix stuff."

"And all your distractions?"

"Uh...I'm going to shave them down a little bit." The two listened as Tony talked to Jarvis about doing something, but neither understood, only ending with "screw it, it's Christmas." He said, bringing Pepper into a hug.

Becca watched the sky in awe as Iron Man suits began to explode about the sky. It was a vision of fireworks across the ocean. The ending of one thing and the start of something new.

December 25, 2012

The hospital had holiday decor in random parts of each room, trying to spread some joy in a not joyous environment. Holiday TV shows and music could be heard filtering out of each room you walked by, a jumbled mess of noise from the already chaotic atmosphere of any hospital. The same couldn't be said in the room Becca was sitting in. The room was dark, shades drawn, trying to keep the midday sun out. No noise except for what would drift under the creak at the bottom of the door.

It was a blur after the battle. Government officials, CIA, and SHIELD had drawn in on them. Becca nearly falling at the sight of Director Fury, knowing it was over. From that moment on it was a jumble of explaining the whole situation over and over again to anyone that would ask. To sign a written statement on it. Just all around interrogation, even on the plane ride back to California.

She had gone crossed eyed somewhere in between the trip and getting to the hospital. Becca, Pepper, and Tony were all carted off to different rooms. X-rays and stitches were taken places, antibiotics were administered, and Becca took a very long shower to rid the blood and grime from her body. It was a complete surprise that not a bone in her body was broken, but she had bandages around both wrists from the tape she had torn off her skin. She fought them enough that she didn't have an IV placed in her arm, but the promise of taking all the liquids required.

So now she sat alone, dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie that had been brought in for her. Legs hung over the bed as she sat on the side, not allowing herself to rest in the bed. She knew there were Stark Industry security placed all around the building, from Happy being here and now the addition of three more, but she couldn't calm down. She didn't feel safe there and didn't want to close her eyes in case there was something around the corner waiting for her if she feel asleep.

The last she had heard was that Tony was working with the doctors to fix Pepper. To get this awful Extremis out of her. But that had been a few hours ago. Nurses had come in sporadically to check in on her, but it was mostly telling her to get some rest and refill her cup of water. She just wanted a piece of sanity for the first time in a week.

That's when she heard it. It came from the hallway, and out of the all the noise, the tone was easy to spot through the door. The voices turned into to an argument, fueling her body to find solid ground under her feet. Shuffling to the door, Becca heard the voices intensify as it was opened, the lights making her squint over how bright they were.

"Sir, you aren't authorized to be here." The guard stood in front of the person a few feet down the hallway.

"I need to see her. She knows who I am."

"Ms. Stark has not put anyone on the list."

Becca's mouth went dry when she saw the guard move, allowing her to see the person who she knew was there but hadn't seen. It had been so long since she had seen him, the last time in such a rush that she almost didn't know if she was going to again after everything that had happened in between these two moments.

The guard continued, not noticing her behind him. "Now, what is your name so that-"

"Steve." Her voice just high enough that the two men heard her. "His name is Steve."

Said man's jaw gaped as his eyes took her in. Almost like she was a mirage in front of him, ready for her to disappear if he blinked. But blue and hazel eyes were locked on one another, refusing to lose contact. Becca gave him that small smile, one that she would use to assure him, but it was starting to crumble.

So, all she did was raise her hand, reaching out for him, a simple sign for the two of them that Steve quickly followed. His hand wrapping around her own, the contact powering warmth between them.

"He's allowed here." Becca directed towards the guard, getting a nod in response. She didn't look back, only walked through the door to her room, Steve shutting it behind him. Her eyes were focused on their hands, watching the way his always swallowed hers in his grasp. But his skin against hers was starting to break down the high walls she had put up during the past few days. "I called."

Steve nodded, even though she couldn't see because she was still looking down. "I got it." He tightened his grip, not wanted to let her go. Ever again.

She finally looked up at him, only inches apart, the sprinkling of sunlight through the blinds falling across his face. He looked tired and there was a few days old stubble built up on his face. And all she could think was that she was the reason, she was the one that put him through this hell. No longer did anything else matter, just for her to grieve.

The tears broke over her eyelids, slowly running down her cheek. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

His jaw tightened, shaking his head in disagreement with her words. She had absolutely no reason to apologize to him, this was about her, but she couldn't let the situation be selfish for a second. Always having thoughts on someone else.

His hand raised, knuckles brushing away the tears softly. "Stop overthinking it." The common words a whisper between them.

Becca knew it automatically when he said it, the comfort that has grown between them. Her body leaned forward, head coming to rest against his collarbone. It only took a second for Steve's arms to find their place around her, securing her body against his own. That warmth that she had been looking for, finding it right here. Fingers twisting into each other's back, scared to let the other go.

"How'd you know I was here?" Her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Fury." He said into her hair, his body folding her into him. "He called me when you were on the plane over here, since he knew I was already here."

The sentence took her by surprise, leaning back enough to look up at him again. "What?"

"I, uhh, I've been out here since right after the attack." Steve was the one to look away now, shaking his head of the thoughts that had one point run through it. "I thought you drowned. I thought you were in that water, and I just couldn't…"

She snaked an arm out from under his, coming up to hold the side of this neck, thumb resting on his stubbled jaw. "I'm okay." Trying to reassure him again, but her voice was constantly rejecting steadiness.

He nodded, his own hand coming to rest against hers, finally able to look at her again. Eyes darting back and forth. "I can't lose you, Becca." It was the most sincere words he had said to just about anyone. There was no joke behind it, there was no hidden meaning. It was as straightforward as Steve Rogers could be.

"I'm not going anywhere." She gave him that gut warming smile, the one where it felt like his entire body had been burning from the inside out in the most pleasant way.

The moment was sadly ruined though by the nurse coming in to check up on Becca, the two getting an earful for having her out of bed. "That girl needs to rest. Doesn't need some boy in here making her stand on her feet longer than she needs to be," the woman scolded Steve, getting a chuckle out of Becca in the process.

Becca was escorted back to bed, fulling getting under the blankets this time. The woman gave her another does of medicine, watching her drink down the rest of her water and checking her pulse, before leaving again. This time as the brunette actually let her head rest against the pillow, it was getting harder for her to keep her eyes open. Exhaustion taking on her body.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Steve noticed, standing over the side of her bed.

She nodded, gnawing on her bottom lip. "Can you stay with me?" If he could say what he truly meant, she could too. "I don't want to be alone."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight." He drug the chair to her bedside, hand once against finding her own.

"Thank you, Steve." The words just barely left her lips as she slipped into sleep. Finally feeling safe in this room to relax, trusting him unexplainably. Becca was at rest.

Steve really looked over her now, finally unfazed by the first sight of her. She had cuts surrounding her face, small bruises starting to present themselves on her skin, and the bandages wrapped around her wrists. He was sure the rest of her body was similar, covered in injuries. But she was breathing and that was enough for him at the moment.

He could rest as well now. Letting the tension leave his shoulders and take the first deep breath in 5 days. It was true what he said to her, he couldn't lose her. If he lost her there would be no point anymore. She was his lifeline. He hoped, and had a feeling, those feelings were similar as he felt her grasp his hand tighter in her sleep.

"Merry Christmas, Rebecca."

Oh my emotional Stecca, love them so much, especially how they grow together from here on out.

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

There With You - The Bevert

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

This was supposed to be up sooner but life gets a bit crazy at the beginning of summer, but here is some reunions and the start of something good!

There With You

Just take my hand and I'll keep you safe by my side

For wherever this goes

Let's see this through

Yeah wherever this goes

I'll be there with you

December 26, 2012

Steve's eyes were glazing over after watching dozens of Christmas specials that had been playing all day. They were from multiple decades, giving him a taste of the different types of movies during the time was was asleep. That's what he was trying to call those 66 years instead of frozen. Becca had the idea to see if that helped him process the past easier. It was never going to be easy but it was baby steps forward. Just like the girl fast asleep next to him said.

He looked over to his left, seeing Becca still sound asleep in the hospital bed. Afternoon had turned to midnight in a blink of the eye but Steve had rarely left her side. Once to grab something to eat from the cafeteria as she had her own dinner and only to run to the bathroom a few times. Other than that he was next to her bed, eyes finding her form after every little move and noise she made, on edge that something was wrong.

Other movement broke his concentration from the TV towards where the door was opening. His slouched position became straight up in the chair, hands gripping the arm rests as his eyebrows creased in anticipation. No one had been by in a few hours, and when they do they usually knocked on the door first to warn of them entering. But not this time.

Tony entered the room as quietly as he could to not wake his daughter who he believed was passed out on the other side. His eyes found her in bed, and not surprisingly the man next to her. "At ease, soldier." He whispered to Steve, seeing the protective stance beside Becca.

Said man sat back in the seat, shoulders easing at the sight of Tony. He hadn't seen him yet, but at one point when Becca was awake she explained what had happened the past few days with her and Tony, the Mandarin, and Pepper. It was surprising the three of them even made it out alive. So, now seeing him standing there, gashes framing his face just as Becca's was, he realized how much the small family had been through in a short amount of time.

"How's she doing?" Tony asked, stepping up next to the bed opposite of Steve. He looked her over, thankful to see her sleeping sound.

"Been asleep for most of the time." Steve answered, his own eyes looking over the brown haired girl also. "Nurse has been in to check on her a few times, but seems to be doing alright."

"Even her legs?" The father noticed the bandages on her wrists and wondered about under the blanket. It was something that couldn't shake the father's mind of watching her being electrocuted.

Steve's eyebrows dropped in confusion, not knowing what he meant. "Well, she hadn't mentioned anything." He watched Tony pull up the other chair, nodding but not giving more than that. "Tony?"

Tony shook his head now, hands rubbing against his lips, glimpse of moments that had happen in the past few days flying through his mind. "She just went through more than she should have had to the past few days..." He sat back, letting the words drop off. He wanted to finish with "because of me" but Tony wasn't about to lay that on the man across from him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Steve persay, just was a new person. It was still a bit of a bridge between the two, usually Becca was an gentle buffer for them but not when she was asleep. The tension wasn't hostile anymore, but it didn't stop them from still feeling miles apart. Or years. Very little similarities except that they were stubborn and cared about Becca a lot.

"How's Pepper?" Steve decided to ask, hoping to clear the air of awkwardness.

"Better. I think I got her all figured out." Tony leaned forward, gently pushing pieces of hair off of Becca's face. It was a few scary hours to make sure Pepper was stable, but for the past 2 there hadn't been any more reactions. The woman had got through torture because of him, the same as his daughter. After everything they had gone through in the past almost 5 years, he was finally going to do something that should have been the second he got back from when he was captured. He was doing it for his family and, he guessed, himself. "Now it's my turn."

"Meaning?"

He tapped the arc reactor in his chest, looking up at Steve now to see his reaction. It was one of surprise. "Going to get myself fixed."

"Is that..umm-"

"-Safe?" Tony finished the sentence, getting a nod from him that he was correct. "Can't be as dangerous as shrapnel constantly trying to enter my heart. I should have just gotten it done and over with many years ago."

"Why didn't you?"

"Been trying to answer that question myself."

Steve nodded now, the darkness over the room making the air feel thick. The movie in the background not even registering anymore in his mind. He didn't want to fight with Tony anymore, he didn't want to hold a nonexistent grudge over how he tried to see Howard in the man. It was no wonder Becca didn't tell him who she was automatically; he did judge off of the last name and that wasn't fair. But also, no one would expect Becca to be a Stark with her easy going attitude and kind nature.

The strong willed protectiveness was the exact same that ran through the family, but also the smirk. Becca had many smiles, but Steve had noticed that there is a signature 'Stark Smirk' that ran through the family when someone was getting on their nerves but couldn't verbally bash them. He saw Howard do it, he was given it directly from Tony a few months back, and had witnessed Becca's up-close.

"She called you, right?" The question took Steve off guard. Tony received a questionable look, letting him elaborated. "When we were missing."

"She left a message."

"Figured as much. Once she saw the newspaper headline announcing that we were dead. She couldn't shake it from her mind. Knowing she would want to set the record straight with someone." Tony bit his tongue from saying something he might regret. He didn't know how he felt about Steve yet, but he knew how Becca felt. "She cares deeply about you, Rogers. I'm saying that as a father who has watched people try to rip through our family and manipulated her. But she trusts you, and that doesn't come easy."

"And I feel the same." Steve said confidently, trying to show him just how much this was real. He wasn't playing a game with Becca. "She's been the one person that has been there since I woke up. I owe everything to here. She deserves the world-"

"-You're damn right." Tony stood from his seat, getting ready to leave. "I just want you to know, no matter what the feelings are between the two of us, I understand that there is relationship between you guys." He smoothed his daughter's hair again, leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead before whispering "Merry Christmas, baby girl" to her.

He stood back to his height before reaching his hands out to Steve as a peace offering. "Merry Christmas, Steve."

Said man quickly returned the hand shake, settling something quietly between them. "Merry Christmas, Tony."

December 30, 2012

Her fingers spun the new bracelet around her wrist. The silver pieces glimmered under the fluorescent lights, catching her in the eye with each turn. The jewelry was a bit morbid in a sense, but the thought behind it overpowered anything else. Becca had looked on as her father went through with the surgery to remove the shrapnel from his chest. It was only a few days ago, but she was sure her heart had never been as close to her throat as it was then. It was a scary circumstance that if one piece was missed, Tony could die, or the arc reactor would never leave his chest.

Pepper and Rhodey stood against the window beside her as they looked in on the operating room. Her fingers twisted themselves the entire time, until a larger warm hand encompassed hers. She didn't even think she looked up from the scene, just knowing it was Steve based on instinct. Becca gripped his hand tight until they were finished. The only thing left on Tony's chest was a stitched up incision of where the reactor once was nestled in his body. Knowing there would be a scar there to remember it by.

Pepper was treated, Tony was fixed up, and a day later Happy awoke. The family could breath a bit easier now. It made it better for Becca and Steve to return to New York. There were people that she needed to get back too. Just in time for New Years and in the midst of a snow storm. Which she was in the heart of currently. The diner was still a tad busy as she sat in the booth in the back at around 10pm, keeping her head low in the hopes no one notices.

Her eyes cast back down to the bracelet. A Christmas present from her father. In Tony fashion, he didn't trash the shrapnel. Instead, he took the pieces and made Pepper a necklace and Becca a bracelet. It was more significant than anyone else would believe. He was his daughter and his love that he did everything for them. They were his reason to keeping going and to get better. Their lives, her childhood, everything was destroyed in the mansion but it didn't matter because they had each other and that was enough.

The door of the diner opened, sending a cold blast across the warm environment. Her head snapped up, finally finding the faces she had been looking for since she arrived. His lean body hidden under the winter jacket, while her recognizable fiery hair stuffed under a beanie. The duo brushed the snow off of themselves, searching the diner before finding Becca.

The man took the charge towards her, trying to get through the tables and waiters without causing a scene. Becca nearly didn't stand in time as Clint pulled her tight against his chest, barely enough space to let Becca warp her own arms around him.

"I thought you were dead." His rough voice soft in her hair, almost sighing as a relief that she wasn't.

"I'm sorry." It was all that Becca could think to say to him. Clint, the guy that taught her everything she knew, he was the reason she was able to get out of the situation.

He pulled back, framing her face in his hands to truly look her over. "I'll kick your ass myself if you do that again."

Becca nodded with a soft smile. "Noted." As he let her go, her hazel eyes fell onto the woman behind him. She had taken off her winter gear in the moment they had, letting her red hair stand out. "I should have called."

Natasha's eyebrow rose, her expression somewhere between angry and relieved. "You're damn right." The two women hugged, not as intense as Clint's was, but just as fulfilling, before the three sat in the booth.

That was the difference between Clint and Natasha. Clint was fiercely protective of people he was close to and would tell them. Natasha wouldn't be out in the open about it, but was shown in her actions when you weren't expecting it. This was the closest she had to family and she was only truly starting to understand how to communicate love.

"When'd you get back?" Clint asked, putting the sugar in his coffee that Becca had ordered the three of them.

"Early today." Becca sat across from both of them "I wanted to wait to make sure everyone was settled before we flew out."

"We?"

"Steve and I."

"Yeah, you tell him what's going on." Natasha mumbled behind her coffee cup before taking a sip.

"Tasha…"

"I'm just giving you shit, Bec."

She nodded, looking down at table in defeat. The two people sitting across from her had sacrificed their lives to get her out of situations the same way she did for them. But sometimes Becca still felt like no matter what she would always be the 'kid' of the group. Always the youngest that needed guidance and constantly had to prove herself that she was good enough to be where she is in work.

"I'm not sorry I didn't tell you guys what's going on, because honestly I didn't need anyone else getting involved in the drama." Becca looked up at them, seeing that they were fully listening to everything she had to say. "Because I know how the three of us work. We drop anything to help the other, and I am thankful for that, I really am. But there are other people I have to look out for as well."

The table fell silent, not exactly the way any of them thought this late night gathering was going to go. At any other time they were in this diner it was to regroup after a mission together, but now the dynamic had shifted.

"I know," Natasha sighed, letting her anger fade away, "I know you have a lot of people to answer to and I have no idea what it means to have to hide your identity from the world because of your name. And I'm sorry." The redhead reached across the table to grab Becca's hand in her own. "I'm just really fucking glad you're alive."

Becca smiled softly back at her, their hands squeezing tightly.

"Ditto." Clint nodded his head, watching the two of them.

Natasha's once calm expression now turned to annoyed as she looked at the man beside her. "You did not just 'ditto' my speech."

"What? No one could have said it better." He shrugged it off.

"God, you're such a shit."

Becca just sat back in the booth, laughing at the two fighting in front of her like they always do. Another reason she could breathe easier now. They spent the rest of their evening that way, laughing with each other, knowing Clint will be returning home again. So she made sure to hug him tightly when they said their goodbyes, with one last one to Natasha who promised to see her in a few days after she also spent New Year's with the Barton's.

The young brunette grabbed a cab, about to say her address before another came tumbling out of her mouth. She watched the snow lightly fall out the window while they drove. Becca thanked the driver before making her way to the apartment building that was calling her out. She rang the buzzer to the apartment she wanted, wrapping the coat tighter around her body from the cold.

"What's your death wish?" Eve's voice crackled through the speaker.

"I'm home." Becca responded, barely a second before the door was buzzed open for her. She took the steps two at a time, not waiting around to see her best friend.

Eve was standing in the doorway, tears in her eyes, as she came through the stairwell door. The brunette ran to the blonde, wrapping around each other tightly. Becca even felt tears falling from her own eyes as they hugged in the hallway.

"I didn't think you would be stopping by tonight." Eve cried in her best friend's shoulder. She was so happy to be with her, knowing she truly was alive, even after a quick phone call a few days prior.

Becca let her shoulders finally relax. "I didn't want to be alone tonight."

December 31st, 2012

Becca might have had a bit much to drink but she didn't think it was to the point of losing a person in an apartment bad. Then again. The apartment was wall to wall filled with people, 80% that she didn't know which meant 99% for Steve. The two had decided to spend New Year's Eve at Eve's, a holiday that the blonde insisted was her holiday since it had her name in it, and she needed to spread the joy personally to everyone for the New Year. It was a tradition since college. So, Becca and Steve had stopped at the liquor store along their route to the girl's apartment, picking up two of the last bottles of champagne they had and a bottle of whiskey Steve was going to sip on. The two dodged the hundreds of people that wanted to be in Times Square for midnight and found themselves buzzing into the correct apartment building.

Now, Eve had told them it was going to be more lowkey this year, not wanted to much of a crazy party after what the three had just gone through. So, when the duo opened the door to a wall of people they were a bit taken back by the loud music and even louder people.

"Do you want to go back to my apartment?" Becca had turned back to Steve before entering, standing on her tiptoes to speak in his ear.

He immediately shook his head, not wanting to stop her from having a good time. "No, let's stay."

She watched him carefully, but didn't see any eyewavering that he usually did when he was lying. "Okay," her voice strained, "but if you want to go, tell me immediately and we're out of here."

He rolled his eyes, before grabbing her hand and starting to walking through the crowd of people. The brunette let him take the lead, smiling at people she knew in college, promising to catch up in a bit. That's when things began to get fuzzy. Eve had hugged them both sharply upon entering the kitchen, clearly a few drinks into her night already, and ushered them to take a shot with her immediately. Becca and Steve gave each other a knowing look upon seeing Cora standing beside her, clearly knowing the two had rekindle even if just for the night.

From there, there were more drinks and shots, people coming in and out of conversations, and Becca losing Steve to a conversation with a guy she had never met before but he seemed to be having a good time. They each were keeping on eye on one another, but then Becca was ushered to do a few tequila shots with Eve and her's dance group from college and she became hazy. There had been more than one questions of her recent disappearance, which made her keep drinking heavily from her cup of punch. She had only gone to the bathroom for a few minutes and when she came back out she couldn't find Steve anywhere.

The agent clocked what she thought were all of her surroundings, but only finding Eve back in the kitchen.

"I'm super proud of you by the way," Eve handed her a cup of new juice, "not beating anyone's ass for asking you the same question over and over again."

"Shut the fuck up." Becca sipped her cup, remembering the party on her birthday a few years back when she flipped the guy onto the floor. Wasn't a good look for herself. "You see Steve anywhere?"

"Cora just drug him off somewhere." Eve responded, watching Becca's face with intrigue over the girl they hadn't discussed yet. "I don't want to hear it." She dismissed the discussion of Cora quickly. "My best friend was presumed dead, I was emotional and needed to get laid. That's it end of story."

She rose her free hand in defense, not looking to get in a fight with her best friend. Before either could say another word, the sound of Becca's name being yelled across the apartment had them both turning. Especially at the sound of the voice. What they found made Becca's blood freeze, Garrett standing there giving her a wave and a smirk that use to get her knees to wobble.

Becca gave him a wave and forced smile back, before turning on Eve with wide eyes. "You invited him!"

"Hell no! If anything I want to kick the guy's ass. He must know someone here." The blonde looked over her friend's shoulder seeing him walking this way. "I can kick him out!"

"No, it's fine." Becca just wished they could go back to friends, but it just felt different to her know. And maybe that friendship was just a crush she had on Garrett that now vanished. "Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked the guy who just got to her side.

"I've been party hopping with my friends, but Brad said he wanted to come here next." Garrett explained. "Didn't realize the Eve he meant was you, Eve."

"Small world." Said girl deadpanned, knocking back another shot.

"I didn't know you were back in town after everything." He whispered to Becca, either not catching Eve's sarcasm or just ignoring it.

"Oh, yeah." Becca brushed it off, her movements messy. "Steve and I got back yesterday."

The mention of the other man seemed to rub him the wrong way. "Right, the Captain ran off without a word to anyone."

"I heard. He's around here somewhere." She looked around the him, trying to find sight of Steve again, swaying on her feet.

Eve didn't know if Becca noticed the clenched teeth of the mention of the taller and stronger man, but she did and wanted to get her best friend out of this situation. Sometimes Becca was too nice for her own good. Especially when she's had quite a bit to drink. "Hey Garrett, show me where Brad is, I have some words for him."

"Yeah, s-sure." He agreed but also didn't want to leave Becca's side.

The Stark watched them walk away while she gulped down the rest of her drink before grabbing a bottle of champagne and making a break for it. Still with no Steve in sight, she opened the window and climbed out on the fire escape. It was cold, she wasn't denying that, but the alcohol was warming her core and she just needed to get out of that environment for awhile. Becca watched the people below her walking up and down the street, celebrating the oncoming of the New Year. She couldn't see it from the position of the building, but she was sure Times Square was more lit up than normal. But her favorite part of celebrating the New Year at Eve's was the perfect show of the Brooklyn Bridge when the fireworks started at midnight.

The base beat got louder inside, prompting Becca to unravel the wrapping around the champagne bottle, getting to the cork. That's when she truly realized how tipsy she was as she attempted to untwist the wire. She was standing over the ledge attempting to push the cork off when the window behind her opened.

"You trying to sneak away?"

The spy was barely even startled at the sudden loud voice, trying to scare her, but didn't. She looked over her shoulder, giving Steve a big smile before going back to her objective. With one more push, the cork popped off flying over the edge and the contents foaming over the neck of the bottle and her hand.

"Making my own party." She giggled, sipping up the mess she made, ringing her hand out. "Want to join?"

Steve shook his head, a smile given as he watched the girl stumbled about. "For you? Always." He pulled his tall frame through the window, her jacket in his hand. "You cold?" He shut the window, allowing them a tad bit of quiet from the inside party.

"Psh, no." She sipped from the bottle, seeing him narrow his eyes at her, knowing for a fact she froze easily in the cold. She sighed, giving in, "you're right."

"You sound surprised." He held the jacket open for her to slip into.

Becca stuck her tongue out at him as she pushed one arm through than the other, switching the bottle back and forth. "Where've you been all night?"

Declining a sip from the bottle, Steve leaned against the iron railing in front of them. "Talking to some people, then Cora all but drug me away. The way it sounds, her and Eve-"

"-Are back together." She finished for him. "Yeah, I was given a stern talking to to just let it go. So I'm letting it go." A sigh was followed by a large drink from the bottle.

"But, you're really not."

"What Eve doesn't need to know won't hurt her."

"I think those might be your famous last words." He laughed, a thought from weeks ago popping back in his mind, "maybe her whole need to find us a date is over with."

Becca groaned loudly, head falling back on her shoulders. "Oh, don't remind me! Especially after the awkward encounter I just had."

Steve looked back over his shoulder to look in the window, seeing the guy that had made his jaw clench immediately on seeing him walk into the party. He didn't know why it truly bothered him that much, since they were now officially coworkers, but the man had him tightening his shoulders. "So, I guess you know that Neilsen is here then?"

The mention of Garrett had the girl chugging down the champagne as fast as she could with the bubbles. "It made my night," she sarcastically replied, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket.

He bobbed his head in a nodded, trying to play it off as a once and done conversation. But there were questions that were sitting on the tip of his tongue desperately trying to sneak through his teeth. "Did you..um...did you guys ever..uhh.."

Her eyes might have been a bit glassy from the alcohol but she could see the embarrassing blush reaching his neck under the leather jacket. He hadn't stuttered around her like this for months, they had finally found an easy rhythm between them and he wasn't scared to ask her questions, so this surprised Becca. "Steven?"

He cleared his throat at the full name and looked towards the ground many stories below them to not get nervous from her eyes on him. "Did you and Neilsen date?"

"Nope." The brunette quickly answered, popping her P.

"But you two...umm...you two had been with each other?"

Her neck nearly cracked too look up at him with wide eyes. "Who the hell told you that?" She specifically never told him about the night Garrett and her spent together, just that they weren't on good terms for that short amount of time that he had witnessed in the hallway before the battle of New York.

Steve's eyebrows rose on his forehead, trying to back track everything. "Oh, no one said-"

"-You're a horrible liar, Steve. Was it Eve? Did she tell you?"

"The only reason she told me was because he was at your birthday and I asked." He specifically turned towards her now, trying to get both him and the other blonde out of hot water. "Honestly, she just told me because she was worried."

"It's fine." Becca played it off, now the one to look away from his intense eyes. "Whatever might have been between me and him is done and over. There never was and there never will be." She shrugged, looking around to the people rushing to get somewhere, when the whole night came flashing back to her. Easily moving on from that topic. "Wait, what time is it?"

Steve barely had time to respond as the girl grabbed his wrist where his watch sat. "It was 10 'til midnight."

"2 more minutes until this damn year is over!" Becca yelled in hallelujah, leaning over the railing next to him.

The cold air was actually a relief to him after the almost claustrophobic feeling he had a few minutes ago from being in the mess of people. It wasn't his favorite thing to do, but he wanted to do something for Becca. And the usual cold that screamed into his bones didn't affect him as much when she was around. As he looked down his shoulder at her, the content, drunken smile was resting on her face. The simple action warming his insides out, glad they were back to easiness between them. He hadn't witnessed her drunk yet, it only made him keep his own smile on his face at seeing her just float along.

"You know what my favorite part of this year was?" She asked, handing Steve the bottle of champagne this time with no way for him to decline.

"Tell me." He took his own drink from the bottle, grimacing at the taste, not a fan of it. "Damn, that's awful."

"Rude." Becca grabbed it back, looking hurt by his declaration. "You know, I was gonna say meeting you but I think I have to change my answer now."

"Well, now I know anyways." Steve challenged her. "You can't take that back."

"You're something else, Rogers." She rolled her eyes, her body stumbling into his.

He held her up, allowing his arm to wrap around her waist. "So, I've been told." The words so many times spoken from their lips.

Suddenly, there was a loud countdown happening around them, from inside and on the street below. A 'Happy New Year!' rocketing their small world around them, fireworks beginning to light up the sky over the Brooklyn Bridge. Steve's arm tightened around Becca's waist at the sudden noise, but his heart began to slow feeling her body melting into his own. He allowed himself to watch the colors shine in the dark sky, listening to the roar of laughter and happiness surrounding them. So it took him even more by surprised, feeling Becca's soft lips press gently to his cheek.

"Happy 2013, Steve." Becca whispered to him, before dropping from her tiptoes to let her head fall against his shoulder. Not thinking anything of it as she turned back to the bridge, but if she wouldn't have been tipsy she might have noticed the way Steve's pulse quickened and the hard swallow at the memory of her lips against his skin.

They're so clueless to each other, it's almost cute.

Up Next: The world is about to find out.

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Escape Route - Paramore

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

Been dealing with a lot of drama with people stealing my story and what not, so I apologize for the delay in the chapter. But it’s taken a toll on my writing with the headache of trying to get things taken down. I just love this series so much and try to give you guys consistent updates, but we’ll get through it!

Escape Route

And if you try to find me now

I'm in all the echoes that have faded out

So I'm moving on

'Cause I just want to feel for once that I belong

And that's what's going on

February 2013

Agent Bex swung her body over the edge of the building, landing in a crouched position on the roof, staying completely stealth in the dark night. She had less than 5 minutes to get to her point before the security system inside the building would be back up and running. It shouldn’t have taken her so long to get up to the roof of the building, but since the entire building was mostly glass windows, she needed to attempt to be completely invisible. So, with the constant 5 minute countdown echoing in her head from the STRIKE leader, her nerves were sadly on high alert. If she missed the second security system on the top level in time, her partners would be screwed.

She found the air vent that had been shown to her when STRIKE reviewed their recon the day before and this morning. Bex didn’t waste any time pulling the grate up and dropping her body inside. She recounted the map in her head, going left, 2 rights before she found herself at the drop down she needed. Taking a look through the slits, she noticed two men. One was sitting at the computer in the security room, looking over the screens as if nothing had gone awry, and the other was standing at the door, gun in hand.

“1 minute left, Bex.” Jack Rollins said through her in-ear.

“It’ll be done in 30.” She whispered, before taking one last breath and dropping into the room.

It became chaos between the three. The man at the computer was startled beyond belief, Bex easily slamming his head against the desk to knock him out. But the agent had to duck under the desk just in time as the man by the door began showering the air with bullets, clearly not even caring about his colleague to get hit.

Bex took a deep breath and pulled out one of her throwing knives. She counted out his bullets, waiting for his obvious reload. That’s when she ducked out from behind the desk and got him in the shin, sending the man to the floor screaming in pain. The spy pulled herself up, jumping onto the desk next to her, followed onto the man’s back. She grabbed her rope and wrapped it around his throat, leaving him gasping for breath before passing out on the cold floor below him.

In one motion, she grabbed his gun and the knife that was still lodged in his leg, before going back to the computer. “You’re clear.” She explained to the entire team as she turned the security system completely off now.

She pulled 4 zip ties out of her belt to finish tying up the men so they couldn’t move. Listening behind the door, she didn’t hear anyone in the hallway so took the opportunity to get out. She made it down a floor to where the rest of the STRIKE team was supposed to be at the meeting spot when she was surrounded by guards.

The agent began fighting, slicing, anything she could in the situation where there were 7 men attacking her. It was a rather rough blow to the head that had her knocked to the ground. Bex grabbed her knife even though she was crossed eyed from the blow, trying to understand the man that was towering over her, the last one that was standing. The barrel of the gun was pointed at her head, a second away from putting a bullet in her skull when something large was thrown into his neck, snapping his whole body in the other direction.

Bex didn’t look to see what had saved her, before jumping up to land on top of the man’s body, officially knocking him out as well. She looked over her shoulder as she stood to her full height, seeing that the Captain was the one who saved her. Which she shouldn’t be surprised about anymore.

“Cutting it close, Bex.” Steve said, checking their surroundings. The new navy blue uniform he wore easily blended into the dark night.

“Living on a prayer, baby.” She relayed the lyrics even though she knew he had no idea what she meant.

Not a second later they were taking off down the hallway, then the stairwell where they were jumping down from platform to platform. They may have taken down the security system, but that entails the fact that everyone now knew they were there. So the time crunch was still on.

“Rumlow and I have the weapons,” Natasha spoke through the comms, “Rollins, call enforcement.”

“On it.”

This whole situation started earlier yesterday morning, when they were given word on a couple of rogue scientist had gotten their hands on some weapons that the Chitarri used in the battle of New York. They had made, from what SHIELD could assume, was an accidental power surge in the map, officially blowing the group's cover from over 6 months now. This led to STRIKE teams involvement immediately to get in and get the job done as quickly as they knew how in the laboratory in upstate New York.

Agent Bex and Captain America made it down to ground level, fighting off a few more guards on their way. They found Agent Nielsen standing guard at the entrance, the position he had been assigned.

“We’re all clear here.” Garrett nodded to the two, eyes more on Becca than Steve. The two males tense around each other, for reasons Becca wasn’t ready to comment on from the beginning.

“Not so fast,” Rumlow’s gravelly voice cutting through their ears, “got some spares heading down the stairs.”

The three team members turned on the spot towards the long hallway that had elevators on one side and the stairs on the other. They watched as three men came running out the door, taking off in the opposite direction. Captain America knocked one out with a throw of his shield, Lithe threw a knife that landed in the second man's leg, and Agent Nielsen sent two bullets into the man's shoulders.

The flashing lights from the authorities through the window as they ran over to each of their victims to hold them down, FBI along with SHIELD agents coming to clean up the crime scene. They watched as the sea of officers and agents came piling into the building with Jack Rollins in the lead after calling them. The routine began of clean up, in every sense of the word. From the guards who were knocked out around the building, to the scientists being behind held by gunpoint with Romanoff and Rumlow in toe, to securing the area that no one would know the true nature of what was happening in this building tonight.

After so many years of doing this routine, Becca didn’t think twice about anything, just trying to keep her head down and get back to SHIELD for her mission report. Be aware of hesitant cops, or possibility of reports snooping about. But this time she wasn’t so intune with her surroundings. This time she let her guard down too soon, and would be suffering the repercussions from that.

The following early afternoon, when the Team was finally released from questioning and the scientists were being extracted for all the information they could get, Becca, Natasha, and Steve walked the few blocks towards the diner. The three desperate for substance after a long past two days. The brunch crowd had the three waiting for a few minutes longer than wanted, especially for the redhead who was making annoyed comments. It was very rare for Natasha to complain about something that was literally out of someone else’s control, but the hunger was creating a monster inside of her.

“If she starts cursing in Russian, I volunteer you to take her out.” Becca whispered her joke to Steve, which more or so was muffled as her forehead leaned against his shoulder blade from behind. Exhaustion truly entering her bones. She felt him chuckle but he stayed stoic as he always did, watching the multiple TVs to catch glimpses of what news was happening they had missed. The sleepy girl didn’t even realize the hostess told them to follow her to the table, only understanding when Steve’s arm came around her waist to push her in front of him to follow Natasha. She fell into the seat across from Natasha and Steve sat to her left.

“Him and I will have coffee, black and she’ll take an iced tea.” The redhead directed to the girl, who looked taken back by the unasked request.

“Tasha…” Becca gave a silent ‘what the hell’ look at her urgency.

“So sorry,” Natasha said softly to the girl, “make her’s unsweetened.”

Becca just shook her head at her friend’s actions, watching the hostess walk away. “She’s gonna spit in your drink.”

“I’ve had worse.” She shrugged, opening her menu.

“I can only imagine.” Steve finally spoke up, eyes reading over his own menu, but could still feel the glare from the woman across from him.

“I’m as innocent as a butterfly, Rogers.”

“Yet you sting like a bee.”

Becca was more than thankful when their actual waitress came over, drinks in hand surprisingly enough. It gave her a break from her two friends bickering match that had been going on since they truly started working together in January. The young Stark was right about how the two would work together. They completed missions well, but liked to give each other shit. Natasha had started it with comments here or there, just getting a feel of the working partnership with Steve, and quicking found out he was not afraid to talk back. It actually made her respect him more.

The group gave the waitress their orders before settling into their chairs. As Becca took a drink of her ice tea, her eyes couldn't help but look into another pair that was staring her way a few tables cornered from theirs. Even when she looked away and cautiously glanced back, the woman still had her eyes on her.

"I think I've been noticed." Becca calmly said to her partners, setting the drink down.

"Where?" Steve asked casually, blowing on the steaming black coffee before taking a sip.

"Natasha's 4 o'clock."

Said spy casually, tucked her hair behind her ear and side eyed the woman. "Maybe you're her type."

The brunette rolled her eyes, keeping her head low with hair falling in front of her face. Since everything that had happened at Christmas, especially after the battle of New York, her family name had been on the tongues of everyone in the media. Constant paparazzi and media trying to find her, some succeeding. Becca had been splitting her time at her own apartment, or Eve’s, Natasha’s, and Steve’s. This way no one could track her day to day habits, but most importantly staying away from the Tower where they would camp out for her father.

Becca stayed mostly silent at the table, Natasha and Steve filling the silence, but they were still keeping a watchful eye on their environment. Each of them fiercely protective of their friend. Something they definitely could agree on. The invisibleness that she once loved about living in New York was starting to backfire on her.

“Shit.” The word surprising her as she heard Steve say it under his breath. She looked up at him with questioning eyes, as the two women followed his eye path to the TVs hanging from the ceiling on the wall above the counter.

Each one of their mouths went dry as they watched the news report. The lower third read ‘Who is SHIELD? And is Rebecca Stark a member?’ All the TVs were on a different network and each were talking about this Breaking News. None of them could hear what reports were saying but their was video of the night before. The SHIELD and FBI cars surrounding the building and suddenly zoomed in on Becca. The video of last night playing next to a video they had from the battle of New York, seeing that the two were the same person.

Suddenly Becca’s throat tightened, bile rising inside of her, even though all she had was a drink from her iced tea. Her fingers began moving on their own accord, the place where her anxiety always begins to take form.

Natasha watched it happen, eyes falling from her friend towards the public around them. Whispers beginning and phones being turned in their direction. This was about to get a whole lot worse, and as she met Steve’s eyes she knew he was thinking the same thing. “Get her out of here. Go back to the office.”

Steve nodded, grabbing both of their coats before pulling Becca into a standing position. Her hand was tight in his, keeping close to his back as he pulled them through the tables. Becca couldn’t tell if all the talking was directed towards her or not, but it felt like she was being buried alive in the atmosphere. The cold air was almost a saving grace that pushed through her body as they stepped outside.

Becca ran on autopilot as she pushed her arms through the jacket Steve held open for her. The man quickly pulled on his own before taking her hand in his again, navigating her through the afternoon traffic of the city. Her other hand came to hold on to his bicep, keeping her body tucked close to his own, watching only their feet as they walked.

“How did they…” She didn’t finish her question, knowing he understood her.

Steve’s eyes passed by everyone’s face as they looked in her direction or not. Being the anchor she always was for him. “I don’t know.”

“They’re called Rising Tide.” Director Nick Fury stood at the front of the conference room with the screen behind him zoomed in on the red symbol that had been on the bottom of the video. “They are a hacktivist group trying to expose SHIELD.”

“Well, they seem to be doing a good job.” Steve countered from the opposite side of the room, arms crossed against his chest as he leaned against the window ledge. Natasha and Becca sat across from each other in the middle of the table, while Maria Hill sat towards the front. Her laptop open in front of her as she continued to work. Becca and Steve had rushed to the office, with Natasha a few minutes behind them with their food in hand. Hill had intercepted them midway to the Director’s office and brought them straight to the conference room.

Becca’s mind had been playing over and over the previous night’s mission. How she could have missed the person in the background, how she could have let her surroundings go that easily. She had jeopardized the very organization she worked for but more importantly the people that worked there. This was bigger than just her identity being shown to the world.

“We have been tracking them for a while.” Fury continued, hands gripping the back of the chair. “They have grown without us noticing.”

“We are currently working on getting their website down.” Hill told the group.

Natasha nodded, picking at the french fries from the lunch that the three had barely touched. She didn’t know what to do with herself in this situation. They always thought this might happen one day, but you are never actually prepared for the day it comes to life. “Do we know who the people are?”

“Not exactly.”

Steve’s eyes were almost always on Becca, watching her demeanor as the news kept breaking around them. She currently spun the small knife she kept in her belt around her fingers. Eyes very rarely coming up to look at any of them, and comments nonexistent. But he could tell her mind was working overtime.

The group heard arguing happening in the hallway just outside of the door, each of them watching as the door was pushed open, Tony walking in with a very distraught SHIELD assistant behind him.

“Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like right now would be a good time for some Consulting. Don’t you, Nick?” Tony’s voice loud and on edge.

“I’m so sorry, Director Fury.” The woman edged by the door, worried of consequences. “I tried to stop him.”

“It’s fine, Jennifer.” Fury raised his hand in understanding, waiting for her to close the door behind her on the way out before starting again. “Nice of you to find time, Stark.”

“Yeah, I was just having a relaxing morning and turned on the news with a cup of coffee to find my daughter’s face on every damn station.” Tony arms came across his chest, similar to Steve’s, as he stood behind said girl.

“We are working on it-”

“-I already took care of the video on their website.” His words, getting everyone to look at him in surprise. “What? The original hacker of the government right here, why is this surprising anyone?”

“Any idea of who they are?” Maria raised an eyebrow at the man, still not fully trusting the older Stark.

“Jarvis is working on it.”

Steve shook his head, wiping a hand over his mouth. “The world still has the video from the news. Everyone has seen the footage already and has endless recordings of it.”

“And all over the internet right now is the two of you hand-in-hand leaving the diner.” The father’s words were kind of a dig into the two. Becca finally raised her head to see Steve across the room from her, already looking at her with a clenched jaw. “It won’t be long until they put two and two together and figure you out, Cap.”

“Welp, looks like they found you out first, Tony.” Natasha spoke through the chewing of her french fry, looking at her phone in hand.

“The hell?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started to search.

But Maria was faster, already sending the new video to the screen behind Fury. The six watched as the grainy screen showed a video of Iron Man taking flight with the caption ‘We know you were the one to delete the video Mr. Stark. Trying to protect your daughter, we’re sure. But we have more where this came from.’

“This is a serious problem.” Fury’s hands found his hips, already thinking about the conversation that will happen with the government and the World Council.

Tony took a seat in the chair next to his daughter, seeing that she was still playing with the knife. Not having spoken a word since entering the room.

Becca’s head was on the conversation she had during the summer with the World Council. The very one where she agreed to become the spokesperson of SHIELD when this day would come, and they were here now. The one where she agreed so that Steve was able to walk without a target on his back and Clint became a free man again. The agreement to do what her grandfather wanted of her. To step towards the destiny set upon her.

“I need to report to the Council.” Becca’s words steady as she spoke out. Everyone’s eyes falling on to her, wide in surprise.

“Bex, that is not something that needs to happen right now.” Fury explained to his agent, but he didn’t know the agreement that was set.

“It was what I agreed to.” She finally looked up to her Director, the face dropping as he understood now why they hadn’t wanted him in on those conversations. He would have denounced those plans immediately.

“Becca, what are you talking about?” Natasha sat forward in her seat. The thought of her partner agreeing to something that could hang herself was too much to actually think of.

The girl leaned forward in her own seat, knife resting on the glass table, finally out of her hands. “I had a meeting with the World Council back in July.” She announced, eyes finding Steve’s who gave her a single nod to say he supported her to continue. “I have agreed to become their quote unquote spokesperson for the public and private meetings when it would be needed.”

“Jesus Christ...” Tony rubbed his eyes with a sigh, “why would you agree to that?”

“Because it’s what Grandpa wanted for me.” Becca looked over at him, her words soft.

“Oh jeez,” he stood angrily from his seat and pushed the chair in hard against the table, “you can’t believe that bullshit, Rebecca.”

“And how would you know?” Her own voice getting higher as her entire body moved to see him, “we didn’t find out about SHIELD until 4 years ago!”

“Exactly!”

“He left you Stark Industries why is it so crazy that he wanted me to be here?”

“Because you were 4 years old when they died! How the hell was he to know you should be part of this? Especially something he never talked about. Never!”

“Just because you have been holding a grudge at Grandpa doesn’t mean I get grouped into that equation too. It’s not my fault he didn’t leave everything he had to your disposal! And who’s the one who’s supposed to be running Stark Industries, anyways? Not Pepper!”

The group just stayed back, watching the showdown between the family. But the thing that truly was taking everyone by surprise was Becca’s actions. The smiling and goodhearted girl was now fuming and spilling venom from her lips. The very opposite of her nature.

Tony wouldn’t show that he was taken back by his daughter’s words, but he had never seen her with such fire in her eyes towards him. Even as a teenager she rarely got moody and slam the door in his face like all other teens would do to their parents. Never having to ground her, she was the essence of a perfect child. “Listen, kid-”

“I’m not a kid!” That was the last straw. Her body just exploded with anger.

She was tired. Tired of being treated as if she was glass, tired of everyone acting that she didn’t think through every situation. Becca had been hiding her life forever, more than just SHIELD. She was the girl left on the doorstep because her mother never wanted her. The girl who acted like watching her father drink every night and missed special occasions didn’t affect her. Having to grow up at a young age and being photographed her entire life. Having her life in the news since she was 6 months old. Now it was her turn to take charge of the situation and be the one to tell her story.

Tony nodded, hand smoothing down his goatee to push away the emotions in a room that didn’t know him like his daughter did. He turned to Steve, seeing the man in a protective stance if something were to happen. The man who his father wouldn’t shut the hell up about, and now his daughter had clearly made her decision as well. He thought he was over it, but he clearly wasn’t. “She’s all yours.”

Becca watched him storm out of the room, her breathing heavily coming in and out of her nose. Embarrassment now stretching through her chest, knowing all of them had first hand witnessed it. “Sorry for that.” She held her head high, picking up her knife to place back in her belt.

“No matter the situation,” Fury said trying to move forward, “this isn’t going to be an automatic press conference. There is a lot that needs to be spoken about and put into play.”

“Your safety is our first concern.” Maria looked away from her laptop for once. “You know have a very active target on your back and we need to keep you somewhere safe.”

“I understand.” Becca nodded, knowing that consequence was always there.

“Probably putting you in a safe house.”

Natasha sat up, and shrugged her shoulders. “The farm.”

The only people in the room understanding the words were Natasha, Becca, and Fury. And it was the one place Becca would definitely feel safe.

Steve sat on the corner of Becca's bed, fingers playing with the suitcase that was lying open next to him. His eyes following her drifting around the room, grabbing random items she needed to take with her. She had stayed at his apartment the night before, neither thinking it was a smart idea for her to be in her own apartment too long by herself. Wanting to take as many precautions as they could while things were playing out.

The media hadn't let up on the Rising Tide videos and constantly wondering what SHIELD was, yet no one had made any type of statement. Both had a feeling that would be landing on her shoulders when the time came. For now though they were taking everything a step at a time. But she was quiet, and Steve for once desperately wanted her to overspill her thoughts. Especially after the fight she had with her father.

"You really can't tell me where you're going?" His deep voice breaking the silence in the bedroom.

Becca shook her head, grabbing clothes out of her dresser. "It's safer for everyone involved."

“Yeah, but I’m more worried about you.” Steve’s eyes not leaving the carpet below his feet.

His demeanor stopped her in her tracks now, making her turn back to him. His head down, shoulders rounded reminded her so much of the body language he developed a year ago when he was reeling with the past he had missed. It was a way to make him smaller, trying to escape a situation the way he easily could before the serum.

“Hey,” she whispered, fingers tracing over his shoulders, “I’ll be safe.”

He shook his head, rubbing his chin to contemplate his words. “It seems like...every time I have to say goodbye to you...something happens.” Their past record supported his theory, every time they weren’t together fate decided it was time to let a bomb fall on her. It gave Steve the false hope that if he was around she would always be safe, if that’s the one thing he was good for. Because the girl was a goddamn angel that should never have her wings clipped.

Becca pushed aside her suitcase and took the seat next to him, arms entwining through his so their hands could lace. She had noticed quickly that the heat through her palm on his own grounded him, so she would use the knowledge whenever he seemed to be pushing the ledge. And at that moment, his shoulders instantly relaxed, focusing on the touch of her skin.

“I promise you, I will be careful. And I know I say that a lot, but this time...I swear to you I’m coming back in one piece.”

Steve looked over at her a tiny smile sitting on his lips. “And I promise to keep my phone on me at all times.”

She snorted in amusement, letting her head rest against his shoulder. Since returning home from the Christmas incident the two had been more inseparable than ever. The thought of losing one another had been to close of a call and it woke something in both of them, but hadn’t been spoken about since. They were two people that didn’t like to rest the weight of their world on the other person’s shoulders, but now the walls were crumbled around both of them. Allowing the other step over that gravel and be on the same side.

The real world was desperate to knock them both down and tear the other away.

“It’s been a year.” Becca whispered, gaining Steve's attention from his thoughts. "We met a year ago this month."

The soldier nodded, fingers squeezing her own a bit more firmly. It was a different feeling with her than he ever had with anyone before. Everything was new and it caught him off guard in a good way. It was the truth that he needed her more than she could ever know. And with the world about to find more than just aliens existing, they would need each other more than ever.

You didn’t think the Stark family were going to be sunshine and unicorns all the time did you??

Up Next: Leaning on the shoulder of her mentor and addressing the world.

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

I Of The Storm - Of Monsters and Men

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

Real Talk, I love this chapter! We're taking steps into a new path of Becca, but also talking more about her past. And I'm just really excited for what's to come!

I Of The Storm

If I could face them

If I could make amends

With all my shadows

I'd bow my head

And welcome them

But I feel it burning

Like when the winter wind

Stops my breathing

February 2013

Becca rolled the dice against the board, knowing her fate was grim but secretly was having too much fun to care.

"Okay, that's a 5, which means," the young boy across from her moved her Monopoly piece across the square board, "Oh! You owe me $350, please."

Cooper Barton held his palm out towards her, sly smile across his face that he truly got from his father. She rolled her eyes dramatically, and made a deal out of counting out the money from her depleting funds left on her side of the board. The large kitchen table had been sectioned off for most of the weekend for the game play with the four members of the Barton family and their addition of Becca. Lila, the youngest family member, would hop from person to person's team, depending who was winning at that time.

Clint was the first person to go bankrupt, something no one would let him go on. Laura was next, but Becca could tell she was giving up, ready to be done with the 2 day long board game. It was left with Cooper and Becca, Lila had unwillingly been forced to go to bed about an hour before. The clock was slowly edging towards the 9 o'clock position that Sunday night, and Becca wasn't even trying anymore knowing the boy's bedtime was upon them.

"I think you cheat." Becca tugged the sleeves of her hoodie over her palms.

"How?" Cooper rolled the dice from himself, moving his own piece to 'Visit Jail'. "You're the banker."

"Probably stole some money when I went to the bathroom earlier."

"You're crazy." He drank the remaining of his orange juice in the cup.

"Hey, what did I tell you about saying someone's crazy?" Clint spoke up, rounding the corner from the living room at hearing his son. Laura a step behind him.

"Never tell it to their face."

"Exactly."

Laura and Becca both rolling their eyes at his comment, the two women having very similar personalities.

"Alright Coop, time for bed." Laura stood behind her son's chair, running fingers through his hair.

"But Mom-"

"Only but is your butt in bed." Her answer such a parent thing to say. "It's a school night."

"Yeah, you totally won, bud." Becca officially giving up, hopefully helping the mother with her mission.

"See, now say goodnight."

Cooper huffed, stomping out of his chair with a dark 'night' throwing behind him. The three heard his footsteps all the way up the stairs and the door shut hard behind him.

Laura pointed a finger at Clint, eyebrow raised, "He gets that attitude from you."

"Me!" Clint spoke in astonishment, a beer bottle in each hand that he had just pulled from the fridge. "I don't stomp."

"No, but you do sass." Becca commented, putting the board pieces back into the box.

"I'm sorry, whose letting you stay here?"

"You're wife."

His jaw opened, like he wanted to fight back but it was true. Laura was the ruler of the house. "True."

Said women chuckled, walking over to kiss him on the cheek. "It's okay, honey. We love you anyway."

Becca laughed along with her, but truly watched in admiration the gentleness between the two. There was a soft nature to the couple that made her chest burn in happiness for them. Like they always looked at each other like they were still high school sweethearts and it made the girl envious, in a way that she might never find that love one day.

Laura said goodnight to both her husband and the young woman before following the same path up the staircase her son just took. Clint gestured with his head to Becca, allowing her to follow behind him out to the front porch deck. The two sat on seperate wooden rockers, a gas heater in front of the two so they could stay warm on the February evening in Missouri. Becca tucked her feet beneath her and let the new beer in her hand rest against the wood arm of the chair.

The air smelled of snow, something the weather channel had been calling in the forecast, but still hadn't landed. But it was peaceful. Becca, use to the city air and constant noise, for once didn't feel anxious. The second her feet touched the dead winter grass off the jet, she felt her shoulder ease from the spot near her ears. Natasha was right; the farm was the exact thing she needed.

"Those kids love you." Clint spoke up, taking a swig from his beer bottle.

Becca smiled, "Yeah, I'm kinda fond of them as well."

"Cooper so has a crush on you."

"What can I say, I'm very crushable."

The two chuckled, settling into their chairs, allowing the quiet night to form a barrier around the two of them. "Thank you, by the way," the conversation a few seconds ago echoing in her head, "for letting me hide out here."

"You are always welcome here. You should know that." He told her, as if she needed a reminder that this was also her safe house whenever she needed it.

"I know, I just…" the young Stark played with the condensation making rings on the wood, "You've been laying low and I didn't want to get you involved with this drama."

"Listen if SHIELD is about to be exposed to the world, it's just a matter of time until my name gets picked up." Clint shrugged, knowing it was always a possibility, but now more of a percentage since the Battle of New York. "This house is nowhere to be connected to me so Laura and the kids are safe. It's just coming home to them at the end of the day. And with the World Security still with a target on my back..."

Becca's body became rigged at the mention of her new bosses that will be calling her any day now. She thought someone would have told Clint that he was in the clear from them, Fury or Hill, but it seems like no one has.

"You have something you want to tell me?" She didn't meet his eyes that she felt on her, knowing he caught her body language automatically. He had been watching her closely the past few days she had been there, but this was the first time she felt uneasy at the topic surrounding her. "Something that had even Tasha on edge when I spoke to her."

She took a deep gulp of the beer, feeling the cold liquid wash down her throat. It gave her the strength she needed to explain it all. The entire meeting she had with the World Council from the summer of last year. Most importantly his named being cleared. He didn't say anything, just kept a stoic face and sipped the beer as he took everything in. And it was driving her crazy.

"You're disappointed, right?"

He raised an eyebrow with an incredulous face, "Why would I be disappointed?"

"Because you think I'm being manipulated and taken advantage of for their own game." The words easily came from her tongue, seemingly like she had been thinking about them many times. "That I didn't think about the consequences."

"You are none of those things." Clint shook his head, having a strong feeling those words were spat at her at some point in the not so distant past. "I told you you were meant for more than spy a while ago and I know you didn't agree to this without thinking of the best option."

"I feel like there's a but coming on."

"I just wish you were selfish once and awhile." He looked over at her, a sad smile on his face. "I appreciate what you did for me and I'm sure Steve does as well, but what are you getting out of it?"

It was a question that she had even asked herself after the meeting, but Clint was right, she always thought about others before herself. "The ability to start choosing my path, I guess."

"The only thing I ask of you is to find a way to keep your head on straight. I'm sure you won't have a problem, but in case you get to deep have a lifesaver to pull you straight."

"I will."

"I know you will, because if not Tasha and I have no problem putting you straight." The comment getting a laugh from the both of them, knowing just how true that was. "I need another one," Clint shook the empty bottle, "you?"

"I'm good." She declined, watching him get up from his seat and head back into the house.

The comment about a lifesaver was ringing through her head. She didn't want to fall prey to SHIELD, there had to be a balance. The cold metal of her bracelet on her skin tore her away from her thoughts, staring down at the object somewhere between anger and sadness. The shrapnel a direct contact to her father, and she didn't want to think about him right now.

Instead, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and found the text thread that hadn't been used since the day she landed at the farm. Steve Rogers was on her mind more than she thought one person could be. She missed him, wished he could be here or she there. He calmed her, the same way that she desperately tried to give him.

'Being careful, if only for you.'

"You really can't get drunk?"

"Nope."

"God...that sucks."

Steve shrugged, peeling the label of the beer bottle in his hands. "Never could drink anyway, so I don't know what it's like."

Blonde locks shook as Eve nodded her head, remembering history lessons from high school of the soldier. It didn't take her as long as she thought it would to separate the man she studied to the man that she had become friends with over the past year. But it was also easy when the man had been open to her since she learned the true identity of himself and her best friend.

The two had quickly become good friends without the presence of Becca with them. It made Eve warm to know he drew towards her while Becca had been away. Some type of comradery that she had found back in December when they're friend had gone missing. Steve constantly called her to give her updates while he was in California and she thanked the stars for that. The same ones they were sitting under right now.

The duo sat on two crates on the small balcony outside of Eve's kitchen window. They started inside but she could tell Steve was feeling claustrophobic in the apartment and that some cold air could do them good with a bottle of beer in their hands. Similarities from many states away.

"Don't you have work tomorrow?" He leaned back against the bricks, the cold taunting his back through his jacket. If he was going to be honest he had felt cold through his bones since Becca had gotten on the plane 5 days ago.

"No classes 'til the afternoon." She explained, thinking of the long week of teaching ballet to children ahead of her. "I am however meeting Cora for breakfast before she starts her second round of residency."

Steve turned his head with a sly smirk at the mention of the girl who was currently going through her Masters at the NYU School of Medicine in the Department of Surgery. Steve enjoyed Cora's presences as well, the two having similar calculated mind sets.

"Oh my god, put that face away." Eve groaned with annoyance, pushing his shoulder. "You and Bec spend too much time together I swear. We're just hanging out."

The term making him chuckle at the memory of Becca teaching him what 'hanging out' meant, the same way Howard had taught him what 'fondue' was at one time. "Does hanging out mean you two date without actually calling it a relationship?"

"When's the last time you went on a date?" She shot back, taking a gulp from her bottle.

He contemplated the question for a second, wondering how honest he could be. "Never."

"What?"

Steve shrugged, fingers back to peeling the label. "I mean, there were double dates that kind of were my best friend's doing, but not...I've never been on an actual date." He watched her give him an overdramatic frown, sad eyes and all. "Put that away. It's not something to feel bad about."

"Everyone needs some lovin' Steve. Even the great Captain America."

"I'm doing just fine, thank you."

"Well, I know that. I mean you've got Becca hanging over you every day, and if she played for the other team I would definitely try to date my best friend." Eve joked, but didn't miss the blush that grew from his neck at her words. Putting a mental note on questioning that at some point, but not now. "There had to have been someone in your past that made you all dry mouthed and rambling…"

He nodded, "There was one girl, but instead of going on a date I crashed a plane to save New York."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise by just how brunt he was, something he found easy to do with Eve. "Well shit."

"She's still alive," Steve watched the cars pass across the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance, "She's had a full life, a wonderful life, and I guess I'm just trying to figure out how to move on."

Eve chewed on her bottom lip, easily tearing the skin from the cold weather. He was being open with her, something she wasn't very good at. Or actually something she had pushed away. One person hurt her enough to leave a mess in her wake. It was why she never let Cora get so close. Becca was the only one who saw glimpses of that other side, it was the same for Steve as well. Both of their pasts not letting them move forward because of deep scars. So Eve did what she did best; change the topic in to a joke.

"We can sign you up from ."

"Excuse me?"

She shrugged like it was an obvious answer, "It's a dating website." His face was complete confusion still. "Did Becca not tell you about this yet?"

"Surprisingly enough no." His voice was high in sarcasm. He had a feeling she didn't tell him because it honestly didn't have any value to him.

"Well what about the Godfather series that I suggested? Did you watch that yet?"

He shook his head, drinking deep from the bottle in the hand. "Ya know Eve, I've missed decades of information…"

"Ugh!" She let her head fall back, nearly smacking the brick wall behind her, with fake irritation. "These are important society things!"

"Do you know how many new things I came by day by day, it's hard enough to remember one thing."

Eve shook her head, eyes watching the city in front of her before a thought popped into her head. She jumped from her seat, setting the beer on the grates under their feet. "I've got an idea!"

"What…" Steve let his question fall off as he watched her all but jump back through the window into her apartment. He shook his own head this time, a small smile falling over his face before taking another drink. Eve had become a welcome distraction for him from the unlimited news cycle the past week since Becca had been gone. It was a pleasant change of pace to have a conversation with someone that wasn't a part of SHIELD and wasn't constantly talking about the faces of the Avengers. He missed Becca terribly, feeling as if the past month had only been a few days, and they were right back to the Christmas attack all over again. Steve had been training nonstop, and when he was left on his own, drawing to keep his mind from running too far. He had even tried to call Peggy, but was immediately turned down, to what he believed was her safety during the SHIELD, Government and Public battle that was shaping up.

The sound of his phone chiming in his pocket broke his thoughts spinning over on themselves. He almost hoped it was Natasha, letting him know they were needed somewhere in the world. They he needed to put on the suit and go do something productive with his hands instead of sitting on the balcony peeling back the label of the beer bottle. The beer the Becca hated because it was too hoppy for her taste and always pushed towards Steve when it was handed to her.

'Being careful, if only for you.'

He sucked in a deep breath of the cold air, at the sight of Becca's words. Almost like she knew he was desperate for some type of contact from her. He set down his own bottle, thumbs hovering over the keypad, not knowing what to say to her. Typing one word, then erasing, then another, and back out on that as well. This was Becca, he didn't have to hide with her, but he was overthinking just a simple text. Her voice whispering in his mind, "Don't overthink it."

She knew him too well.

'That's all I ask. I enjoy your presence you know.'

"Got it!" Eve came barreling back out of the window, almost getting a jump from the super soldier.

He quickly hit send before allowing the phone to drop into his lap. He turned his head up to Eve, watching her sit back down on the crate with a small bound notebook in her hand. "What's that?"

"For you." She held it out to him, watching his eyebrows crease in confusion. "You see something or hear something, write it down. That way he can find out more later." Eve could see his face release tension and nod at her words.

"Thanks Eve." He gave her a soft smile, fingers allowing the empty pages to flip through.

She shrugged, finishing off her drink. "It's not a big deal."

Steve wanted to respond but the sound of his phone again took control of his concentration. He opened the message and felt the heat wrap around his body from the new text from the girl miles away from them. She easily had read through the lines of his previous text and was more straightforward in her own.

'I really miss you too.'

The screen flashed the new videos on the Rising Tide, one that showed footage from the Stark Expo years ago and another of SHIELD agents cleaning up a situation, not covering up the logo on their clothing. Becca sat in front of the laptop, watching everything closely. She sat at the Barton dining room table, one leg under her while the other was tucked towards her chest, a cup of coffee being balanced on the top of her knee cap. She had been in this position for most of the morning, finally catching up on the weeks worth of news that had been spilling out of control.

"Bex, are you even listening to anything I'm saying?"

Said girl's head shot up at the direct line of question, seeing her boss standing in front of her. A single eyed glare focused on only her. If this was 5 years ago, before she truly understood who Nick Fury was, the look would have terrified her. Now she was so used to getting a side eye, especially when she was partnered with Clint and Natasha, it just rolled off her back.

"What'd you say?"

Clint snorted from his spot at the counter, stirring hot water into a bowl of dry oatmeal for Cooper and Lila who were sitting on the couch in the living room. The two kids were huddled under a pile of blankets, watching cartoons during the late morning. There was about a foot of snow outside, cancelling school for the kids. The family and Becca woke up that morning to a blanket of snow and Fury knocking on the wooden door.

Fury had his hands resting on the back of the chair across from her, head shaking as he dropped it down for a second. "The World Council is ready for you."

"Figured as much." Becca closed the laptop, done with watching the same thing. She drank from her coffee cup, wishing like she had every day for the past two weeks that when she woke up each morning that it had all been a dream. "I'm surprised they allowed you to tell me."

"Let's just say they didn't have a choice in the matter." Nick accepted his own coffee cup from Clint. A smirk quipped against the corner of her lips at his no nonsense tone.

"So, what do they want?" Clint spoke up now, arms crossed as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Plain and simple, she's being called in."

"Time to live out my destiny." Becca's words were ones of slick sarcasm. Two weeks of playing house were over, no longer could she second guess her past actions and the attitudes of everyone who had their own thoughts of the situation. It was time to suit up. This time though it wasn't Lithe, it was Rebecca Stark, the girl who played nice in the public eye her entire life. The essence of poise in the Stark family.

"You don't have to." Clint told her with the thought of their previous conversation on both of their minds.

She pushed the coffee cup onto the wooden table top, allowing her chin to take its place on her knee. Clint wasn't going to stop her, but he was going to make sure she knew she had options. "I've got this." Becca nodded at her friend before turning back to the Director. "What's the plan?"

Nick wasn't surprised by her lack of negotiating. He had watched her long enough to know when Becca made up her mind it was set in stone. "You'll come back with me today and then they are working out putting together a press conference near the capital."

"Speech and questions?"

"Yes, they'll have something ready for you."

Becca nodded, pulling her body up to a standing position. "Guess I should pack then?"

"We'll want to get to Washington as soon as possible."

She ignored the two older men's full on stare at her, wondering if at any moment she would change her mind and attitude. Walking past Cooper, she let her hand mess with his hair in a loving way where he was half asleep next to his passed out sister. Her feet carried her up the stairs, hearing murmurs from the kitchen but decided to let it drift away from her as she finally got to the guest room she had been staying in. She didn't allow herself to think too much about what was waiting for her after the plane ride, just going on automatic and putting all her things back into her suitcase.

"Don't forget these." Laura walked into the room, a laundry basket balanced on her hip before she set it on the bed, pulling out of a few articles of clothing that were Becca's.

"Laura, you didn't have to do that." She smiled at the older woman, placing the clean clothes on top.

The mother shrugged, "It was no problem. It's the least I could do for all the help you've given me the past few weeks." Becca's tried her hardest to do anything she could to make up for staying with them, from cooking and cleaning, to babysitting the kids so Laura and Clint could have a few date nights. Laura loved having the young woman around, she always came prepared with a bright smile and the kids fell to her feet, same with Natasha when she would stay with them. "I mean, when's the last time you had someone else to help with your chores?"

She knew Laura was making a joke, but Becca's smile almost dropped off her face. She honestly couldn't remember a time she had someone else do her laundry. Even as a kid she would take care of her own laundry, along with her father's that needed to be done. She was always self sufficient, very rarely having to rely on someone else to do something for her. "I don't know…"

The words were soft, taking Laura off guard. A tone in her voice she had never heard from Becca before. There was no denying she was an independent young lady. Since her first time meeting her just out of her teen years to the quiet whispers her husband would tell her of the worries of making sure Becca was safe, most recently back during Christmas and now that she had been hiding at the farmhouse, Laura just wanted to protect her as her own.

"It's not a bad thing to let other people pull the weight off your shoulders every once and awhile, Bec." Laura gently smoothed the wavy, brown hair away from Becca's face, taking the girl by surprise. But Laura gave her a big smile, hoping to give her some strength from that action alone.

She took the strength, letting it roll through her body. "Thank you…for everything."

"This is your home base, whenever you need it. We're right here."

As soon as they landed in Washington, D.C. Becca felt the guard immediately go up around her. But more importantly felt ready and determined to make a stand for herself and a way to make sure she started to know the inner workings of SHIELD. She had been put into meetings with numbers of people for two days straight. The World Security Council, Alexander Pierce, SHIELD press office, government officials, and more that she couldn't begin to remember everyone's names. One conversation was not leaving her thoughts since it had happened the previous afternoon.

"We want you here in a month." Secretary Pierce said from behind his desk.

Becca rose an eyebrow, not understanding since she was sitting in front of him now. "I'm sorry, sir?"

"You're base in now here in Washington. We want you moved down here and ready to work."

That was something that got her rethinking her entire decision. To move from New York was never something she thought she would have to do. The idea of it was making her sick, moving away from everyone that meant anything to her. That was the worst thing that had been said to her yet.

Right now, it was day three and she was being primed and primped in a hotel room where the press conference was being held. The speech sat in her hands, but she could barely pay attention to it. She sat at the windowsill, looking out across the city that she would be calling her new home soon. People were in the living area of the suite, leaving her to think alone in the bedroom. She gave the excuse of wanting to be alone to go over her speech, or script, but she needed to clear her head before the press conference.

In an odd way it reminded her of being a teenager again, when she would be waiting for the next event that her father had happening or the new Stark Industries product launch. She spent many an early morning tucked in the back of boardrooms and conference centers. Just another part of her childhood.

"They didn't have any muffins, so I got you a bagel." Steve came into the bedroom, breaking her thoughts.

She had Steve. He had dropped everything to get himself to D.C. the second he found out she was there. He had been by her side since he landed the day before as much as he could be. Also, dealing with his side of what was about to be released with Fury.

"Thank you." Becca gave him a bright smile, the only person that was receiving it since landing two days before. She stood from her spot, walking past him to close the bedroom door, giving the two some privacy from the others in the room next door. "Anything going on out there?"

"Reporters and what not starting to set up." Steve pulled the breakfast items out of the bag that he had gotten from the cafe downstairs for the two of them. The situation reminded him so much of the first time the two were in D.C. together the previous summer. She was putting on a smile and taking everything with grace, but he could feel the nervous energy pouring off of her. "You good?"

"Absolutely." She gave him another smile in thanks as he handed her the bagel and coffee from her spot back at the window. Becca's eyes kept staring back out at the scenery, eyes following cars and then staring out at the cloudy winter sky.

Steve watched her from his spot adjacent to her, trying to understand where exactly her mind had been the past two weeks. It was still the same Becca that he knew, but there was something lying underneath that was trying to surface but he wasn't sure what. They stayed quiet as they finished their respective breakfasts, okay just being in the same room as each other. Steve could hear the SHIELD press team talking and getting everything together for the press conference that was happening in under 30 minutes now.

"I think it's going to snow." Becca sipped her coffee, not knowing that the cloudy skies outside resembled what her own eyes were looking like.

"We're supposed to get some flurries." Steve stood from his seat, bringing his own coffee with him to sit across from her on the windowsill. "Hope we don't get snowed in down here-"

"-I'm moving."

Taken back was the simplest way to describe Steve's expression at the abrupt words. "What?"

Becca sighed, turning so they were face to face. She had promised him and herself that she wouldn't keep major, life changing secrets from him since the last name incident. "They want me here permanently."

"Here? As in D.C.?" His eyebrows rose, gesturing down with his finger to truly make his question.

She nodded, hand raising to run through her curled hair. "They said a month, I said by the beginning of April." Becca watched him process her words, his brain moving a mile a second. And once again here she was worrying about his reaction then what she was going through. "Say something. Please..anything."

Steve shrugged, "I'm just wondering how I'm going to fit all my stuff on a motorcycle."

That was not the sentence she was expecting to come from his mouth. "Excuse me."

"I mean, I guess you'll get a moving truck right? And I don't have too much stuff, so I'm sure it could all fit together. Maybe if there's enough room the bike will fit also."

"Woah!" Her hands flailed in between them, getting him to stop his rambling, "Steve, what are you talking about? You're not moving too."

"Yeah, I am." He leaned forward, reducing the wide space between them.

"No," she looked at him as if he had 9 heads, "no, you're going to stay in New York. I'm sure I don't have to be down here forever. Maybe a few years, but..."

"Becca, I have no reason to be in New York if you're not there."

Her breath caught in her throat at the admission from him, her chest burned tight and her hazel eyes filled up. "But...that's your home."

"You're my home." The words sat on the edge of his tongue, almost spilling out from somewhere deep that he didn't even know where. The thought alone brought a deep crimson to his neck, but he tried to push it down. "I'm coming with, and it's going to take a lot more than a few less than authentic claims to change my mind."

Hazel eyes fell down to her lap, no longer being able to stare into his blue ones. She wanted to cry, but not from sadness. From the warmth of knowing someone was going to help her with the weight that rested on her shoulders right now, just as Laura said.

But the knock on the closed door broke the personal space between them. "Bex, we have to get going." The women called through the door.

Becca looked up again at Steve, pushing the tears away that threaten to ruin her makeup and took a deep breath. "Coming!" She called out, voice wavering a bit. Her hand had a mind of it's own and found his, the skin to skin contact calming her overworked nerves.

"You're going to be fine." His voice just a whisper, keeping their little bubble around them for just a bit longer.

"Are you going down there?"

"I'll be in the back of the room, hiding in plain sight." He gave her a crooked smile, getting one back from her. "Find me. Focus on me whenever you need to."

With a nod and one last deep breath, Becca stood and smoothed out the skirt and blouse they had all but forced her to put on. She grabbed her speech and the rest of her coffee, while Steve grabbed his own, plus the dark blue baseball hat he was going to be sporting, and the two headed out into the living area.

The group began their descent to the conference room, everyone trying to talk to Becca at once and she tried to listen her hardest. Steve watched as she held her head high though, a different woman than the same one who was just locked away with him and it made him fawn over her even more than imagined. She answered each question with elegance and made sure to communicate directly with the person that asked.

The young Stark was doing well, gaining her strength the best she could as they had her stationed behind the curtains of where the stage was set up, but then long strawberry blonde hair caught her attention. "Pepper?"

Said women turned on the spot, high heels be damned, at the sound of her name being called. "Becca, there you are!" Pepper rushed towards her with relief spreading across her features as her arms wrapped tightly around the younger girl. "I've been looking everywhere for you and no one would tell me where you were."

"What are you doing here?" Becca pulled away, surprised to see her in D.C.

"For you obviously. Well, actually I told them that Stark Industries needs to be in the know of the public knowledge of 'Lithe'," she used air quotes and rolled her eyes, "but that's just business. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

The girl in question could feel her heart beating in her throat at having the mother figure there with her, but as she looked over her shoulder she wished she didn't feel the hit to her gut at not finding another person with her. "Just you?"

Pepper knew who she was really asking for, but couldn't break the girl's heart more than it already was. She had her own fight with the older Stark for not coming. "Yeah, Rhodey was trying to make it but was called out late last night on something."

So, Becca nodded, letting it roll off her back. At least she hoped it looked like that, but one person standing behind her saw the tension.

"Hey, Pepper." Steve took the spot next to Becca, to show her support.

"Steve! Oh, I'm so glad you're here." The older women truly enjoyed the man's company, but most importantly the relationship between him and her extended daughter.

Before anything more could be said, Becca was being whisked off towards the stage, her eyes turning back just for a second to see Steve and Pepper each giving her supportive smiles. With one last deep breath, and mental pep talk, Becca walked past the curtain, automatically getting attacked with flashes and the sound of murmurs from the press audience. The podium stood in the center, microphones places along the top. As she looked over the sea of people, the Rebecca Stark Smile framing her face to be welcoming as possible.

"Thank you all for coming today," Becca's voice came out strong but endearing, "there has been a lot of talk the past few weeks about secret organizations and my possible involvement in them."

She looked back down to her speech, but it honestly was a script that was written for her to make sure there were no missing elements. But as she read the next sentence, her mind stopped and she couldn't comprehend the words anymore. If she was about to throw herself to the lions she was going to do it her way. Speech be damned.

"I'm sure as I stand up here today, you all know who I am. You definitely know who my father is, you know of the work my grandfather gave this world before leaving it. I am the product of intellectuals, game changers, and risk takers. Now if I'm going to be honest in front of you all today, I don't hold all the same thoughts, actions, and feelings as the men in my family line. But it's time for me to step up into my own role."

As she looked around the room, her eyes finally found Steve's. He was in the back of the room, just as he promised her. The blue hat was low but she could still see the warmth he was radiating towards her in those blue eyes. He gave her a nod, saying she could do this and he was behind her 100%. And now she knew just how far that trust had entwined the two of them together.

"All the videos that have been released from a conspiracy, hacktivist group known as the Rising Tide...are in fact real." Whispers began to intensify through the press. "They have decided to show the world an organization that has been protecting people quietly for decades. That group is known as SHIELD. They are an extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency, tasked with maintaining both national and global security.

"I am here today to tell you that my name is Rebecca Stark and I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."

The crowd was beyond antsy at this, camera's flashing every second from every direction. The first step of telling the world who she was. Her fingers gripping the podium, but keeping her brave face steady. There was one more thing that needed to be said, one more detail that will officially end the supposed gossip about her secret life.

And as the sentence ran through her head all she could think back to was her birthday, back in 2008. Sitting on the floor of her apartment, surrounded by SHIELD paperwork as Clint worked with her to understand what this organization was. And what she watched on TV that morning, her father announcing to the world he was Iron Man. And as the words came out, she couldn't help but wonder if her father was growing rage in front of the TV right now the same way she did all those years ago.

"And I am part of the Avengers."

Boy oh Boy! We're in it now!

Up Next: Last Month in NYC!

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Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Fighting for Nothing - Meg & Dia

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

Oh..Hey. Long time coming, I know, but a much-needed break was taken and get ready to be getting regular updates in 2020 to finish this book out! I wanted to give a little holiday gift for you all and wondered why the hell not just upload a new chapter. So Happy Holidays and thanks for sticking with me. Here we go!

Fighting for Nothing

But these things take time, love

These things take backbone

And they'll tell you what you want to hear

'Cause they think it's better

But you better know how to point out the liars

You've got to weigh your wars

Make sure you're not fighting for nothing

March 2013

Becca sat in the lobby, fingers flipping through the magazine that was placed on the small table around a group of chairs. The issue of Time Magazine that sat in her hands was months old, but it didn't mind her. Her hazel eyes didn't read any of the words, just stared while her imagination played itself raw in her mind. She looked up and gave everyone a smile as they passed by, but noticing it wasn't who she knew, would look back down at the glossy pages. The retirement home was busier than she had ever seen it during her visits in the past, but she wanted to make sure Steve was able to visit Peggy one more time before they headed back to New York that afternoon.

It had been a long week in DC with meetings, the press conference, and even finding an apartment complex the two would be moving into. Just a floor would be separating the duo in a months' time, but now they had to head back to New York and to pack their belongings in a truck. Becca wasn't ready to call this city her new home, but the selfish side of her was beyond happy that Steve threw himself into this plan alongside of her.

"Becca."

Said girl's head shot up, finding Steve standing just at the base of the grand staircase. His voice was soft, but she heard it loud and clear, had been listening for it for a good hour. But instead of having his coat in hand ready for them to leave, he was gesturing her over with said hand. The magazine dropped back onto the cherry wood table, grabbing her own coat from the seat next to her before rushing to his side.

"What's up?"

"Peggy wanted to see you before we left." His hand found the small of her back as he gently guided her in front of him up the stairs.

Her eyebrows tucked towards each other, not sure of the odd request. "Why?" She hadn't seen Peggy since the very first visit that she had brought him there the year before.

"I mentioned that you were waiting, and she insisted that I don't leave a lady waiting around for me." There was almost a scoff to his voice, that brought a mild chuckle to Becca's tongue. "Yes, find my pain amusing."

"I'm positive you'll get over it soon." She joked back, watching him open the heavy door into the former retired agent's room.

Becca quickly found the older women sitting at the same corner chair she had seen her in the past, eyes watching outside into the grey mist of the winter mid morning. In the only year time in between visits, she could easily see Peggy looking smaller than she did before. It broke Becca's heart to know there was no cure for the situation she was in.

"Here she is Peggy." Steve spoke up behind Becca, saying back to allow the two to greet one another.

Said woman turned towards them, eyes in confusion at seeing Becca first, then lighting up when recognizing Steve again. But as Peggy's eyes traveled back to the girl something behind them sparkled and her whole face lit up.

"Oh my, it's so good to see you, dear!"

Becca was taken back by the overly welcoming tone but didn't back away. "Yeah, you too Peggy."

"Come, come here, please." Peggy waved her over enthusiastically before motioning to the chair across from her that held Steve's jacket on the back. "Goodness, how long has it been?"

"Oh, about a year, a little less." The young brunette explained, laying her own coat atop of her crossed legs.

"Really? It seems like so much longer than that. Are you still living in New York?"

Becca gave Steve a quick glance from his spot standing behind Peggy's chair, questioningly. He immediately understood and shook his head no, answering that he hadn't told her about the move. "Yeah, for the time being. Along with Steve."

The former Director of SHIELD looked warmly back and forth from the girl to the man mentioned. "I'm just so happy the two of you met each other. Steve, did Angie ever tell you about us living together at one of Stark's residences?"

There was the name again, grabbing the two's attention. But it was absolutely clear that Peggy had forgotten who Becca was and had associated her with someone of her past. Who it seemed also knew her grandfather? It was becoming a tangled web.

Steve regained his voice, realizing he didn't answer the question that was asked to him. "Umm, no," he moved around the two and sat down on the bed that was placed behind Becca's chair, "but what I am curious about is how you and Angie met." He used his words carefully to not lead her on that 'Angie' was the person sitting in front of her but wanting more answers.

"You never told him?" Peggy asked Becca, only getting a shake of her head, not wanting to manipulate her with words. "We met at the L&L Automat where Angie worked."

Peggy continued on, explaining the relationship she had with this woman who wasn't her. Becca couldn't respond morally for the rest of the visit, only with head gestures, yes, no, or I don't know. Becca felt even more emotionally exhausted as they walked out of the building then she had the past month.

"Steve." Her body stopped moving at the top of the outside steps, while her voice stopped him two steps down. He looked back at her with quizzical eyes of her stopping. "I can't come back here."

He released a heavy sigh he had been holding, body deflating at the acknowledgment of the situation. "I know."

"I just don't want to hurt her or manipulate her." She sued her words carefully to not dig the knife deeper into Steve. "It's not fair to her."

"Yeah," he nodded, eyes tracing the splits in the stone steps, wishing to find a solution. But this was the only one.

"But she still has you." Her words got a corner smile from Steve, but it was still heartbreaking to watch someone you care so deeply about deteriorating in front of your eyes.

April 2013

"I don't want to go."

The phrase was the same one that had been echoing through the apartment for the past 6 days. This time was answered by a sigh and a side glance at each other from Steve and Eve. Becca, for once in her life wasn't silent on her feet and was basically stomping from her bedroom to the living room. Her two friends didn't say anything, just continued to fill boxes with her possessions.

The past month had been a lot of emotionally reeling days. A lot of packing and transferring of accounts and details. Basically, Becca and Steve starting to rewrite their lives for their move to DC. Eve all but had a mental breakdown at the new of her best friend leaving the city. It took a few promises and a heavy night out of drinking to get Eve to at least understand the situation.

Now they were on the day of the move and it felt like they were fighting time. Steve's apartment had been an easy pack, having to only put it away in the last week. Becca however had lived 5 years of her life in this apartment and it had created its own unique vibe with knick-knacks and what nots. So the three of them, with the addition of Cora when she was free, started putting her life into piles and packing up the wanted items.

"This was all a horrible idea." Becca whined as she threw herself on the floor in front of the bookcase that she hadn't touched yet.

"I swear to God, if you change your mind after 90 percent of this apartment is packed, I'm going to light you on fire." Eve's words were an empty threat, but she held up a lighter from the box of candles she was packing for emphasis.

Steve entered the room to drop a box full of kitchenware, next to the ever-growing stack. "Bec…"

The sigh that followed his words got a solemn nod and frown from her. "I know." Her hands began packing the books without a thought.

"It's not forever, remember." He squatted down in front of her, using her own words against her. He grabbed a few books from the top and handed them to her.

"I dislike greatly when you are reasonable with me when I want to be an emotional mess." She stared up at him with wide, pointed eyes, but he could see the hit of a smile peeking on her cheeks.

"You're something else." He smiled down at her, grabbing more books to pack.

The smile was bright now against her face, the first real one he had seen in quite a while. "So, I've been told."

"As cute as this scene is," Eve spoke up from the other side of the apartment, "Becca, have you looked at the time?"

"No, why?" She looked around Steve. "The truck isn't supposed to be here for a few more hours."

"And the lunch with your family?"

At the mention of the lunch, her smile dropped and was replaced with a face of regret. Her body fell backwards to now lay on the floor, wishing her body would sink into the wood below her. "Eve, do it. Light me up!"

"Goddamn, you're dramatic today. Even more so than me on a good day." The blonde girl walked over to the two, a glass bottle in hand.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Steve asked, closing up the now full box.

"Oh no," Eve answered before Becca could, "you're not leaving me alone to pack by myself when the truck comes. Now, Becca's going to be a big girl and sit." She kicked her friend's hip with the toe of her shoe, repeatedly until the girl grumbled into a sitting position. "Good girl, now drink this."

"What is it?" Becca took the glass bottle, turning it around to see the tequila logo. She looked up at Eve with a raised eyebrow, "it's noon."

"You're point?" The blonde girl's hands rested on her waist, "There is only like 4 sips left. I'm not packing that shit."

The young Stark looked at the nearly empty bottle, deciding it might make the afternoon go by a tad bit easier with the edge off. Without a second thought, she unscrewed the top and took a swig of the alcohol that burned down her throat. "Now, I know why I never finished the bottle," she coughed out, handing it back to Eve.

The second girl took her own swig before handing it out to Steve. "Rogers?"

"No, thank you." He stood to his full height with the full box in his arms. "I think you two can handle that."

"This is going to be your job now, ya know." Eve told him, the bottle splitting back and forth between the two friends until it was empty. "You're going to have to agree with her when she wants to get blacked out drunk on tequila and sings horrible country songs at the top of her lungs."

"Hey!" Said girl in question called out, fake appalled by her best friend.

Eve just ignored her and continued, "Can you handle that hot mess, Steve?"

The man looked from Eve to Becca, who in turn was still sitting on the ground giving him a megawatt smile. He watched her eyes sparkle in mischief and her cheeks begin to blush from the alcohol rolling through her system. Something, that he didn't understand the meaning of, snapped inside of him. Watching the messy but beautiful girl look at him with an easiness he craved to be around.

"Yeah, I think I can handle it."

"I can handle myself, thank you very much." Becca stood from her spot and stuck her tongue out at the two playfully.

Those words were the least bit true as she sat at the table with Tony and Pepper. She walked into the newly named and redesigned 'Avengers Tower' expecting awkward silence and forced conversation particularly between her father and herself. It was quite opposite. Tony greeted her with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. She had no time to process the first meeting with her father since the blow out, because Pepper was grabbing her in a hug. Sitting at the table was almost pleasant, but Happy running back and forth from the wall windows to look at the streets below and then back to the security cameras. The Stark's security his top priority that Becca was there. It was a touch annoying, but she was just overjoyed to see he was back to his normal self after the explosion at Christmas.

"So, how's the apartment? Is it big enough?" Pepper asked, sitting across from Becca while Tony was at the head of the table.

"Abundantly so." Becca sipped her water. "Two bedrooms, large kitchen and dining room. Living room is gigantic. My stuff is barely going to take up any room. And it's still cheaper than mine now, it's crazy."

"You're paying for the experience in New York." Tony's tone was sarcastic but not hurtful, it actually got a chuckle from his daughter. "You're sure about not keeping this apartment here just in case?"

She shrugged, "it's just not feasible right now, especially not knowing how long I'll be in DC."

"Wouldn't that be a smart option than to keep it-"

"-Tony." Pepper's tone was harsh, cutting him off with a side-eyed glare.

"Never mind. You're right." He ended the thought, picking up his fork to continue eating.

Becca looked back and forth between the two cautiously. It was the first crack into the overly cheery mood that was blanketing over them.

"So," Pepper's smile returned back to her, "when do you leave again?"

"Later today. Steve and Eve are waiting for the moving truck at my apartment now. Then Steve and I are driving halfway tonight."

"Driving? On his bike?"

"No," Becca tucked her hair behind her ear, "I had to buy a car to get around DC."

"You bought a car?" This regained Tony's full attention.

"Well, technically SHIELD is buying it, part of my moving expense-"

"-What kind?" Tony cut her off, eyes determined.

"A Jeep." She didn't understand why she was getting drilled over a vehicle that she's barely going to use if possible, for her.

"A Jeep." he mimicked but with this time a mean, sarcastic laugh. His mood changing like a switch. "Wow…"

Pepper sighed, "Tony-"

"-No, don't 'Tony' me this time." He snapped back. "If there was one thing I could help her with it was buying a goddamn car." The table grew silent; Tony fuming, pepper biting her tongue, and Becca staring down at her plate. "I've lost my appetite." He rose from the table and walked away without a look back.

The two women stayed quiet. The atmosphere that Becca expected to walk into had now commenced and the few sips of tequila were long gone by now.

"So, I take it he's still mad."

Pepper tipped her head and downed the rest of her white wine in the glass. "You could say that."

The younger girl rubbed harshly against her face, praising herself for not wearing makeup today. "What am I supposed to do that won't make him angry. I can't move my finger without him judging me."

"You just need to give him some reassurance to know he's still important in your life."

"Of course he's important in my life, he's my father."

"I know that, but he's…" Pepper trailed off. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Happy wasn't sneaking up behind them to listen in. "I think after everything that happened at Christmas you two grew closer. And now he feels like there's no place for him in your life."

That wasn't in the slightest bit threw, at least she didn't think it. It was just the past four months had been a colossal mess and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it.

Entering her father's new workshop, she could tell he went all out with the rebuild, now being the home base with their Malibu home sinking into the ocean. She found him with his back towards her, fooling with a visualization Jarvis projected for him.

"Good Afternoon, Ms. Stark." The AI welcomed her, alerting Tony to her presence.

"Hi Jarvis." She walked fully into the room, "this place looks great."

"It took a couple of adjustments, but Bruce and I finally got a good layout." Tony explained, still not looking at her.

"Dr. Banner's been here?"

"Yeah, we've been working together the past few months."

"That is great!" Her voice joyous at the idea of him having someone to match wits with. That wasn't enough to turn him around though. "Dad, I'm sorry about the Jeep thing and not asking you."

"It's fine, Becca."

"Everything has just been happening so fast and they gave me options and I had to make a decision that second."

"I said it's fine." He finally looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You're an adult, remember? You can make your own decisions."

It was impossible that he didn't see the hurt and shock that were behind her hazel eyes at the comment. Even though, it didn't stop him from turning away from her to continue working. He threw those words that she had used on him in their last meeting against her. But quite honestly that's not what hurt her, it was the fact that he clearly didn't see her meaning at all.

Becca turned to walk away, to leave and not look back, but something caught her attention. There in a silver picture frame on a desk held a photograph of her grandmother and herself sitting on the women's lap. Becca had to be two or three in the photo. She was giving a big, cheesy grin for the camera while Maria looked down at her, mid laugh. She had never seen the photo before.

Staring at the image, Peggy's words were haunting the back of her mind. She truly didn't look anything like her grandmother, so it wasn't like Peggy was thinking of her and using a different name. There was someone in the past that was missing. Something clicked in her mind.

"Dad, did grandpa or grandma know an Angie?"

Her words took the older Stark by surprise, his body going rigid and stopping all motion, but getting a turn. "Where did that name come from?"

Finally, a question that has sat on the back of her tongue her entire life, it was time to ask. "I want to know more about my mother."

Tony fully spun around, eyes in a blaze. "Why? She didn't want anything to do with you, Becca."

The words were such a slap in the face she couldn't stop the poison in her mouth from spilling out. "Says the guy who decided to be a father when it was convenient for him!"

"Hey!" He stepped forward, pointing a finger in her face. "I did the best I could with a kid who was thrown on my doorstep at 17!"

He was trying to keep egging her on, but she wasn't going to take the bait. "You going to tell me who she is or not?"

"Not."

"Great. Bye." She turned on her heel not waiting for a reply, just ready to get the hell out of there. She barely remembered saying goodbye to Pepper, just getting in the elevator. Her body and mind feeling numb. Her sense didn't catch up to her until she was walking out of the tower's glass doors and getting surrounded by paparazzi flashing cameras and new microphones being pushed in her face. Someone must have seen her arrive and quite literally alerted the media. Becca couldn't breathe or more, the feeling of a mountain piling on top of her.

The suffocation was near impossible to break, when a loud car honking quieted the noise and the rush to get out of the way as said car pulled up to the curb in front of her.

"Get in!" Happy yelled out of the half-opened window.

Becca didn't think twice as she pushed through the crowd and jumped into the passenger seat. The door was barely closed before Happy was speeding away into New York traffic.

"Piranhas, I tell ya!" The driver yelled out, turning down a random street to lose their location as he kept looking in the rear view mirror. "Just trying to suck the life out of people."

"Thanks, Happy." She relaxed into the seat, body feeling exhaustion settling in. "I'm surprised they found me."

"I'm not. They've been lurking around since the news of you came out. Just waiting to sink their teeth in." He looked to his right to see traffic but did a double take as he saw a tear roll out of the corner of her eye. "Whoa, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

She looked over at him confused, when she felt another tear leak down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away, "I'm fine."

It was a giant lie. She hadn't been fine since the day before the world had found out her identity. She hadn't been able to explain to anyone, even herself, the thoughts that were plaguing her mind. All she wanted was to be able to breath for a second, but that second was cut off at every moment. But then again, she put herself into this problem. No one else to blame but herself.

Happy didn't say anything, just let her decompress until he parked the car on the corner outside of her apartment building. He looked out the tinted windows at the moving truck that now carried Becca's life in it. He looked over at said girl, watching her gnawing on her bottom lip and twiddling with her fingers, eyes seeing the same truck.

"Your father loves you, you know?"

Becca nodded, dropping her gaze to her hands in her lap. "I know. In his own unique way."

He heard the hesitation in her voice whether she was trying to hide it or not. "Let him come crawling to you this time." She clearly wasn't expecting to hear that from him, getting a shrug at her surprised expression. "You have a heart of gold, Rebecca. Always have. You care about everyone before thinking of yourself. This is your life to lead."

She couldn't hide the tears clouding her vision this time. It was two different point of views from his to Pepper's, but it felt like someone was finally understanding her reasons. Her body reach over the center console, giving him a big hug. "Thank you for everything, Happy."

"Don't mention it, kiddo." He patted her shoulder before she pulled away. "I only ask one thing."

"What's that?"

"Please tell me the security in DC is up to speed, because I'm not afraid to get down there and put some people in their place."

Becca released a gut-wrenching laugh, her mood lifting for the moment. "I'll give them the Happy Hogan Code-book."

It was empty. Her apartment was officially cleared out, leaving Becca feel empty inside herself. This had been her safe space for five years. Not only her, but her friends as well. Hell, she was attacked her bringing light to SHIELD and Clint saving her life. There were more times than she could count of Eve already lounged out in front of her TV before she came home. Becca and Steve reading or watching a movie, anything to help him understand the new world he was in.

It was a place of love and safety. No longer were there plants strewn across her windowsills and knives stashed in safe keeping. Now it was back to white walls and hardwood floors. Cold and Hard, no longer warm and cozy.

"Is that everything? Eve huffed out a breath upon entering, after about 40 trips up and down the stairs. They left the elevator open for just the boxes.

"Yeah...that's it." Becca wrapped her arms around herself.

Eve watched her best friend carefully. She had been on edge since returning from her lunch, only responding with 'it is what it is'. Clearly not ending the way she wanted it to. It worried her more for the fact that Becca didn't like bleeding out on other people. Keeping her emotions bottled up to the point of breaking.

"It's okay if you're having second thoughts."

Becca turned back to her with a sad smile. "You told me I'm not allowed."

Eve shrugged, "I'll make Steve bring it all back up. Those muscles have to be used for something."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." Steve walked through the open door. "I can literally hear you."

"Is super hearing part of your whole glow up?"

"Maybe so, does it make you nervous?"

A smile found Becca's face as she watched the two bicker back and forth like siblings. But that's when it truly hit her that she wasn't going to have Eve with her. That she wouldn't find her in her apartment unannounced and they couldn't run away from the world to a dive bar to forget about the day's problems.

"What?" Eve noticed how quiet she had gotten and found Becca staring at her with sad eyes. "Oh, don't you dare Stark! Because if you start crying, then I'll start crying, and we'll both be a hot mess." As the words left her mouth, her own tears began building in her eyes. "Dammit, Rebecca."

The threat barely came out as a whisper as the two girls fell into each other. They had become each other's family in the big city and being a part was a bigger thing then either had thought.

"I'm going to miss your annoying ass."

Becca gave a watery chuckle. "I'm going to miss you making things more dramatic than they are."

Steve stood back and gave the two friends their needed time together. The two crying and making stupid comments towards each other. They had such a fierce friendship that Steve almost felt jealous of the companionship between them. But it was quickly pushed away at knowing Becca gave him his own special relationship. It was something she did with anyone in her life. But she had also given him the opportunity to gain Eve as a friend as well.

"You are coming down in the summer, right?" The brunette asked, tears finally coming to a halt.

"I have a break every month, so be prepared." Eve pulled away, the two wiping their faces. "You better be heartbroken until I'm there. Marking the days off on your calendar."

"You and Cora." Becca gave her a pointed look at the mention of her on-again, off-again girlfriend.

The comment received an eye roll, but a nod. "If she's not saving someone's life in surgery."

"She's good for you." Becca watched her almost blush at the thought of Cora but didn't get the full emotion.

"Alright, Steve get her out of here before another breakdown happens."

"We should get going," Steve walked towards them. "The guys with the truck are waiting downstairs."

"I know." She looked around, taking in her once home one last time. "I'll miss you New York."

Up Next: Becca and Steve settling into DC and the path to get to the Winter Soldier.

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ALSO MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW MY TUMBLR (FANGEDLOVERS) FOR MORE REBECCA!

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

How Do You Feel - The Maine

Welcome to Impulse from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to Love Fiction 2019, Lord Disick, D'elfe, Taylor Noelle Hood, Jmhslm, Potato-Faye,

and everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story!

Let's just get into this!

How Do You Feel

How do you feel?

What's your condition?

You are alive but are you living?

Give me your voice and I'll give it a listen

Are you complete or is something missing?

May 2013

Living a life in the spotlight and learning how to talk to someone when they were trying to tear you down had put her ready for this new job that was assigned to her. Over the past few weeks, Becca had been in constant meetings with government officials, on top of paperwork. It was a lot of the same questions over and over; what was SHIELD keeping secrets of, why were the Avengers not announced to them and so on. SHIELD in D.C. was such a different atmosphere then New York, more uptight. She was wondering if it was because of the different characteristics between Directory Fury and Secretary Pierce.

Becca's heels clicked against the floor as she walked down the hallways, folders in one hand and cup of tea in the other. She had spent the morning in conversations about a possible talk with the UN. It was around the opening of select borders to allow SHIELD access into countries in case of major threats. It was going to be a hard subject to get them to agree to, unlike now when they had to be approved before targeting a major threat on soil. But it was Friday and the thought of the weekend upon her was greatly needed.

Her new office was a mighty difference than her former one in New York. She was alone in a corner room, the same floor as Secretary Pierce. It was overly large for her taste, bigger than her living room and dining room put together in her former apartment. The one saving grace was the giant floor to ceiling windows she could gaze out of. Something that she had been taking privilege of since starting.

Becca had just sat behind her desk with a heavenly sign of relaxation when there was a knock on her door. Her brows knitted together in exhaustion at the thought of having to be presentable.

"Not the reaction I was expecting." Natasha walked in, seeing the expression etched in her friend's face. The same one that evaporated at the sight of the redhead.

"What are you doing here?" Becca's voice was full of surprise, but the question got an eyebrow raise. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, just surprised."

The redhead smirked. "Nice save," she continued her walk over to the windows, taking a look out over the view, "nice digs you got here."

"Thanks…"

Natasha could feel the apprehension in her voice."But?"

"It's not New York." Becca sighed but gave her a half smile. Their New York office truly was one of a kind. The two of them and Clint having their personalities splitting the small room into three. With her moving, and Clint on hiatus, Natasha was barely using the office as well. Just didn't feel right. "For real though, what are you doing here? I thought you were out on assignment."

"Done." The older assassin plopped down in the chair across the desk from her.

Becca's eyebrows rose in astonishment. "Already?"

"You were right," Natasha shrugged, "Rogers does do good work."

Natasha and Steve had left around late Tuesday afternoon for a mission in Austria. Becca wasn't privy to the details, just knowing they had a full day of prepping before heading out. Clearly the work they did beforehand had got them in and out quick.

"When did you guys get back?"

"Early this morning. I just got out of the mission report."

Becca chewed on her bottom lip, quickly checking her phone but finding no missed messages. "Steve still in his?"

"No, he finished before me." She watched her friend become anxious at the knowledge of having no contact with the male. "You good?"

"I'm fine," the brunette brushed it off as nothing, "How 'bout you though? No problems?"

"Nope." Natasha crossed her legs to get comfortable in the chair. "Pretty standard. Just wanted to stop in quick to say hi before I head north."

"Can't stay for the weekend?"

"No can do. Fury wants to talk with me about a new undercover job."

Becca raised an eyebrow at the idea of her going back undercover since the knowledge of the Avengers. Natasha and Clint were truly the only two now that people didn't have the faces of. "Back to Russia?"

"I almost wish, but it's Chicago." Natasha agreed with the same stunned face looking back at her. "Not a clue, but it must be something big if Fury wants me back in ops."

"And with Fury you won't know the true mission of your involvement until it's about to blow up in your face."

"Precisely." The two laughed, enjoying the easiness between them for as long as they could. The softness didn't last as long as they wanted because something had been rolling through the redhead's mind since the end of the mission, knowing the girl in front of her was the best to ask. "I do have something to ask, just to see if you even know the situation."

"Shoot." Becca leaned forward, intrigued by what the question could be."

"It's really none of my business, but does Rogers have a problem with something in Austria?"

The young Stark was taken back by that, definitely not anything she was expecting. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know exactly, just as soon as he found out the location of where we were going he became rigid."

"Maybe he was just preparing for the situation."

"Maybe," Natasha shrugged but it was still off, "but as soon as we were done I couldn't follow him fast enough to leave. It was different than any situation I've seen him in. I didn't know if you knew anything…"

Did she? She racked her brain for an answer to the super soldier's shifty emotion, but couldn't place her finger on something. Natasha's worry and the fact that Becca hadn't heard a word from him since returning was bothering her. They had made a deal to notify the other when they were back and safe from a mission. Or maybe she was just overthinking it.

"I didn't mean to worry you." Natasha took notice of the overwhelmed look in her friend's eyes. "It's probably nothing and I just over-read the situation."

Becca tried to push past it; to go to lunch with Natasha, to finish her paperwork for the week, but Steve was on her mind the whole time. But also not wanting to text him incase that annoyed him. By the time her clock hit 5pm she was rushing out the glass doors, barely giving anyone else the time of day. D.C. traffic adding to her impatience, she missed being able to walk home then being stuck in a car. Pulling into one of the few empty parking spots designated for their building, she found Steve's bike sitting a few spaces down. The sight of it relieved her for a minute, knowing he was home.

As soon as she made it inside, her heels were in her hand and her stocking feet were racing up the stairs. By the time she was reaching his floor she had to mentally settle down, not wanting to appear on edge. Her knuckles knocked against his door once, twice, three times but getting no response. The sound of a door opening behind her grabbed her attention, finding his neighbor leaving.

"Hey Kate." Becca called out to the women. A tall blonde they had met upon moving in. She was a nurse and extremely friendly to the two.

"Oh, hey Becca." Kate gave her a soft smile, locking her door. "TGIF am I right?"

"Absolutely." She agreed, keeping up the small talk but wanted to keep it moving. "You haven't seen Steve by chance, have you?"

"No, sorry."

"It's okay, have a good night."

"You too." The women gave a quick wave goodbye and turned towards the stairs.

Becca put her ear against the wooden door, listening for anything on the other side but there was none. She flipped through her keychain to find his key and unlocked the door, each of them having the other's spare. She stood in the dark entryway, not hearing or seeing any source of living inside.

"Steve?" She called out, hoping for him to answer her. All she found was his shield sitting against the wall down the hallway. Her nerves were officially shot and finally pulled out her phone to give him a call. What she didn't expect was to hear a vibration echoing off the walls in time with the ringing in her ear. She followed the sound to find Steve's phone sitting on the kitchen counter. Becca checked through his apartment and then ran a floor up incase for some reason he had gone to hers, but nothing. Nothing was out of place anywhere, and he had clearly come home but had gone somewhere.

That brought her to an hour later, sitting on the steps outside of their apartment building, dressed in leggings and a hoodie waiting. She didn't know what else to do. All they had were each other in the new city, so she had no one to call about him to. She now understood the feelings that he must have gone through when she went missing. The past few months running through her head and all she could think was that she had been selfish. Becca hadn't asked him how he was handling the move and regularly working for SHIELD. She had been so caught up in her own head that maybe she missed the signs Natasha had been talking about.

The sun was close to completely set on the spring evening when she finally saw him. Steve was a block down, noticing he wore sweatpants, under armour shirt, and sneakers. Clearly had been running from some sweat patches on his shirt and mused hair. He had made it to the corner of the building when she couldn't sit still any longer. Becca didn't know what came over her, but the small girl rushed to him, bodies colliding as her arms wrapped themselves tightly around him.

Steve grunted from the impact, eyes barely registering her before she had attacked him. His own arms bracing her against his chest before they toppled over. His thoughts and entire mood he had a second prior were squished at seeing her, now replaced by concern for the girl's actions. "Becca?"

Him just saying her name asked all his questions. "I didn't know where you were." Her voice muffled against his shoulder, head tucked tight under his chin. The whole situation is uneasy from both parties.

Steve understanding where he went wrong, immediately began apologizing profusely and holding the girl tighter. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to text you."

"You left your phone here and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't find you."

He had internally known it for awhile. But the words now solidifying it; he had someone that cared about him and cared if he came home. That a little action as disappearing for a few hours turned a highly intelligent agent into a worried mess. His unwavering connection to Becca was reciprocated.

Becca pulled back from him, pushing away her hair to look up at the man. Truly seeing him for the first time in days. He looked tired and upset and she didn't know if it was from the situation or something different.

"I didn't mean to make you worry," Steve's voice was not as strong as he wanted it to be, "I just needed to run to clear my head after that mission."

"I understand, I just overreacted." She was noticing people walking past them on the sidewalk and didn't need this blasted across the news. "Let's go inside."

He followed her without hesitation, like always. The two were quiet, taking the steps to his apartment, thoughts rolling through each other's minds but very different. Becca sat at his dining room table, not wanting the comfort of his couch right now. Something just was off there. A glass of water was placed in front of her along with the one he had gotten for himself. They were each so selfless for each other, yet sometimes there was a barrier between them. Still not wanting to bleed on the other person.

Becca was ready to bulldoze the rest of the wall there.

"What happened on the mission?"

To say Steve wasn't expecting the question would be a lie. She read him easily, and hoped the run would push his haunted past away, but it didn't. "What did Natasha tell you?" He leaned forward on the table, arms resting crossed.

"She said your demeanor was rigid and asked if Austria was a problem for you." Becca noticed his jaw clench at the mention. "I didn't have an answer for her."

The soldier was quiet for the moment, spinning the glass against the wood table. There was only one road he could take. "It's where I lost Bucky."

She wanted to fall through a hole in the floor. It felt like when he opened up to her about Peggy for the first time but this was so much more. He didn't like to talk about Bucky because it brought up the absolute worst moment in his life.

"It was on the train in the mountains where he fell." His blue eyes found hers, a shrug bunching his shoulders. "Never thought I would have to go back there again."

Those blue eyes were clouded by something behind them reaching out to her to understand. To take the weight off his shoulders, help him stand back up. But then there was the other side that was telling him to move on. The side of him that said he needed to help others before himself, that his problems are minuscule. It was the thought set that had been becoming more and more prominent each time he put the suit back on. What he didn't know was that Becca had taken notice of this change.

"I just need to deal with it-"

"Stop." Becca cut him off, not allowing him to go down that road. "Just stop."

Steve however was not understanding where she was coming from. "What?" He sat up straight, shoulder broad in defense.

"Stop trying to minimize yourself. You don't have to do that with me." Her eyes still help compassion even though her words were blunt. "You are Steve Rogers to me. Unless we're in battle and you're wearing your uniform, Captain America is not on the table."

His posture dropped, his head turned down to his lap. He couldn't hide. "Nothing I do eases the pain and guilt. Thinking about Bucky...I can only see him falling over and over again. And I can't change the past."

"He was your best friend, your family, and I can't understand that type of loss. The thought of losing Eve...I just can't fathom it. But you have to find a way to remember the good parts. I'm sure the two of you ran your course over Brooklyn."

"More times than not people were surprised that we hadn't been kicked out of places yet." He gave a soft chuckle at the thought of the two boys from ages ago.

"Why do I have a feeling you were the instigator?" She joked, happy to see him coming alive.

"You have no proof." Steve looked up at her with a dark smile, memories of happy time now dancing behind his eyes. The sight brought a grin to her own lips.

"How about you go take a shower, I'll cook us dinner, and maybe we can slowly revisit some good times?"

"Okay." Steve pushed up away from the table, and took a few steps before turning back to her. "Hey Becca?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you...just, thank you."

He didn't wait for her to respond before heading to his bedroom and quite honestly she was taken off guard. It wasn't the words, more the feeling she felt while hearing them as she looked into his eyes. Something foreign was brewing.

July 2013

"Rising Tide is offline."

Becca's head snapped up at the words that just left Director Fury's mouth. Her text message to Eve was forgotten.

"What?" She leaned forward in her seat across from him at his desk. Fury shared his computer screen to the display on the wall next to them. Her eyes seeing exactly what he said. Confusion settling on her brow bone. "And we had no control of this?"

"Haven't heard a word." He confirmed her question. "Something seems wrong. We have been back tracking them for months and now they go on their own accord. That's quite unusual."

The hacktivist group hadn't posted any new videos in a long time. SHIELD thinking that since the organization is being open about their existence, Rising Tide had been losing steam. But no matter how much Agents had searched, they still couldn't find the culprits, which looked sad on their end.

"So am I free from my duties?" A hopeful grin found Becca's face.

"No."

The facade dropped as well as her body back into the chair. "Worth a shot."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before agreeing to your new position." Fury's eye narrowed at the girl sitting across from him. Exactly the reason why the World Security Council didn't want him anywhere near the discussion because he would have fought it. "Any issues arise?"

"Besides nearly having a catfight with Secretary Ross and Senator Stern yesterday on Capitol Hill? Nope. It's been a walk in the park." Pure sarcasm dropping from her words.

"You're an adult. You can quit if you want."

"You know I'm not going to do that. Wouldn't mind going on a mission, though."

"And you know you can't. You're a high risk right now." Before more could be said, his phone was ringing. "I got to take this, we'll talk more later."

Becca didn't even reply before he was answering the phone, prompting her to get up and leave at once. With Fury now spending more time in DC, she thought she might have someone on her side finally, but not with the position she had put herself in. A good amount of SHIELD agents and employees had been moved to the capitol because of the news to the people. New York keeping a moderate group together in the building downtown.

She looked to her left, dreading walking the way to her office, having no desire to sit in those four walls. Instead, she went right, taking the elevator to the gym on the middle floors. Becca had been told recently that she was now on hiatus with STRIKE, which was really driving her sanity into the ground. She hadn't been out since February, and it looked like not anytime soon to be reinstated. This led her to more time than ever spending multiple hours in the gym to get her adrenaline out. She couldn't help but wonder what Coulson would think of her new position and if he ever expected her to get to this point. She missed his insights.

Becca quickly got changed in the locker room and entered the gym. It was quite busy for it being midday, but there was new training from the Academy happening during the summer months. Pulling her honey brown hair into a long braid, definitely needing a trim. She scanned the area for a tall blonde. She found Steve in the weights area, sliding the maximum weights on each side of the bar for the chest press. And like she had been doing for the past two months, Becca ignored the deep, gut warmth she had been feeling at seeing him. And she planned to harbor whatever that was until she was physically ill. You know, the healthy thing to do.

"Question, if you stopped working out altogether would you still have insane muscles?" She joked, stopping above him so he could see her face above the bar. A smile pressed on her lips.

Steve just continued on, "If you weren't sarcastic for one day would you be able to go on with your life?"

"No, it would be physically impossible. I might self combust."

He chuckled, finishing his reps before putting the bar back to sit up. "No meetings?"

She shrugged, weary of who was listening around them. "Just got out of one with Fury. Rising Tide is offline."

"Really?" Steve's eyes had widened, taken back by the situation. He stood up, keeping their body's close to have a more hushed conversation. "Well, that's good. Right?"

"I have no idea, cause they took it down themselves." She watched him nod at her answer and begin taking some of the weights off. "You been here long?"

"Over an hour." Steve gestured to the bench with the now decreased weights that he knew she could handle. "Let's go."

The girl rolled her eyes, but sat down anyways. "Is this payback for the muscle comment?"

"Oh no, I'll trade that in when you least expect it."

Becca began her own reps, Steve spotting incase of any problems. She could feel the tension slowly slipping off of him now that she was around. Since their talk about Bucky, the soldier had left his guard down around her even more if that was possible. But being around other Agents, or just the idea of being in the building period, he brought a shield up around himself. Pun not intended.

The spy had also begun leaving her problems at the door. Trying to find a happy medium. Her now much bigger apartment had given her more room to expand her plant selection. Her green thumb becoming more prominent especially in the summer months. While she enjoyed watching Steve truly putting together his own apartment which held artwork that varied from wall to wall and books on every surface you saw. The two of them trying to find themselves. Steve more so with the tiny book he kept with him at all times to remember something new.

"So, I think I want to go to the Smithsonian."

Steve's words caught her off guard, the bar dipping in her arm, but he was quick to catch it before it crushed her chest. Becca watched him set the weights back in place above her, but the words started to process through her head.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, hands sitting on his waist. "Steps forward, right?"

The brunette sat up, keeping her back to him as she thought. He wanted to go for one reason; to see the Captain America exhibit. She had known about a small display they had always had set up, but now with the living legend alive once again, the museum had expanded their archives.

"Do you think it's a bad idea?" Her quiet response had him second guessing.

"No!" She spun towards him, standing from the bench. "Sorry, I just was not thinking you would want to."

"Neither did I." His shoulders shrugged, being cautious of his environment again with this, but needed to let her know what was going through his head the past few days. "I just want to start being open about my past with myself. I can't run from it anymore."

"Well, as not a therapist, I think that's very healthy of you."

The side of his mouth quirked upward, a side smile at her. "Will you go with me?"

And there was the burning again as she gazed up into his eyes. Becca felt like she was drowning in the best way possible, letting herself sink to the bottom of the ocean as waves crashed inside of her. "Of course." Her words were a whisper, the most she could speak out. She wanted to look away, but couldn't. Not knowing if time stood still as she felt something that had been hiding inside of her awakening.

"Rogers!"

Becca finally broke the eye contact to look over his shoulder to find the owner of the voice. Garrett Nielsen walking towards them, a cheeky smirk landing on his lips at seeing Becca there as well.

Steve turned around himself, a neutral face at finding his team member there. "Nielsen." His body standing tall, a few inches taller than the other male.

Becca stayed quiet, just watching the tension filled stare down between them. It didn't take a scientist to see that there was a problem between the two, but that neither of them admitted to.

Garrett's expression changed when he looked towards Becca. "How you doing, Bex?"

"Fine." She answered, her own soft smile on her face, being the nice person she was.

"What can we do for you?" Steve stepped back into the conversation to get back on track.

"We're being called in."

He nodded, ready for him to walk away. "Okay, I'll be right there."

Garrett turned away from him to Becca once again. "We should catch when I'm back."

"Oh...yeah, sure." She was taken back by his split personalities between the two different conversations. The once strong feelings she had for him were so far gone, leaving only a shell of disgust at ever feeling that way, but not showing it to him.

He gave her one last smile before turning away from them. Not giving Steve another time of day before he walked away.

"That was weird." Becca commented, hoping to express a similar feeling between the two of them.

"I'll see you later." His words were dark, not looking down at her, just walking away. Completely changing his attitude to her from 5 minutes ago.

"Okay..be careful!" She called after him, but could only watch his back as he pushed through the gym doors out of her sight. "What the hell…" She whispered to herself, her emotions jostling back and forth with the man.

The music pumped through the apartment, seeping out the open window into the humid, summer air. Probably annoying a few neighbors along the way, but it was Saturday night and try telling the two city girls to turn it down. Eve danced from the living room into the kitchen, hands in the air as she let the music consume her body. Becca shook her hips to the beat, being careful as she cut the lime into wedges. Right now, there was nothing better to Becca than having her best friend in town to truly celebrate it being summer.

"I'm not doing tequila with you." Eve shook her head at the sight of the limes and moved over to the liquor cabinet.

"Rude."

"No, I'd just rather remember tonight, thank you."

Becca laughed, watching her set the bottle of vodka on the counter. She was not a fan of the spirit, but kept it for Eve and Natasha whenever they were around. They each poured their shots respectively before clinking glasses and shooting it back. Becca biting into her lime wedge, allowing the sour taste to ease the alcohol burn.

"Sucks that Cora couldn't make it."

"Yeah," Eve opened the bag of pretzels to nibble on, "that's what I get for dating a soon to be surgeon." Eve and Cora were the complete opposites of each other; where Eve wanted to spend nights out partying and spent her days teaching dance to children, Cora was finishing her residency and liked waking up early to go to the farmer's market when she could. But they complimented each other so well.

"That's really exciting for her!"

"By the way, she wanted me to ask you and Steve if you would come to her graduation in December?"

"Absolutely!" Becca popped her own pretzel into her mouth, her phone dinging on the counter next to her, seeing Steve's name on the screen. "Speak of the devil."

"Okay, his super soldier hearing cannot be that good to hear me through the apartment building!" Getting a laugh from each of them.

'Home.' The text read, bringing her tension she always held when he was out on a mission back down from her body.

"He's finally home, I'm gonna give him a call. See if he wants to order dinner with us?" She walked towards her bedroom, finding distance away from the music that would bleed into their conversation. She perched on the corner of her bed, listening to the ringing in her ear.

"Hello." Steve's voice broke through the other end, sounding low and gravely.

"Hey, glad you're back."

"Yeah."

The one word answer and the tone of his voice bothered her. "Any problems or was it smooth sailing?"

"It was fine." He sighed, clearly not wanting to talk.

Her own sigh leaving her lips, fingers pressing against her brow bone, finding the same odd tension flowing between them before he left and she had no idea why. "Are you sure-"

"It's fine, Rebecca. How many times do I have to repeat myself?" His voice was hostile now and anger was flowing through his veins.

The same feeling on each side of the phone. "Jesus Christ, Steve! So sorry I give a shit, I won't ask anymore." He stayed quiet after her blow up and that just dug the knife in harder. "I don't know what the hell happened, I don't know what the hell I did, but I'm not doing to sit here and try to pander to you. Eve is here, we're going to order dinner. If you want to come up you can, if you don't, I don't care either. You're a grown man, you can clearly take care of yourself. Goodnight." And with that she hung up the phone, not giving him time for a response. If he had some pressing thing to say he can march himself up the stairs and do it to her face.

Becca let out a frustrated cry and and stomped out of her bedroom. Eve stood there with raised eyebrows, clearly overhearing her side of the conversation.

"Ya good?"

"I am so goddamn tired of trying to play this picture perfect person to everyone, who only cares about others than herself." She grabbed the shot glass that Eve handed her and knocked it back with vengeance. "God forbid I care about what Steve's going through and I don't have all the answers, my father still won't talk to me because his ego was hurt, and this whole fucking government thinks they own me." Becca didn't even realize tears were falling from her eyes until Eve had become blurry in front of her. "I'm so tired."

"Oh, Bec…" Eve grabbed her best friend into a hug, while also moving them into the living room to sit on the couch. Each girl taking an end, legs meeting in the middle, their usual position. "I wish I could come down here more for you."

"We skype every week, you do a lot as it is." Becca wiped away the tears from her eyes, "I'm just trying to be someone that I can't be 24/7."

"We'll from my point of view of things, the government thinks they own everyone, but knowing you you're trying to make situations better for the greater good. Right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Eve nodded, setting out one situation at a time. "I believe you do what you think is best and I wouldn't want you to lose that. As for your father, it might take awhile but he's going to come crawling back. Probably when you least expect it. And for Steve, this is confusing me. Did something happen?"

"I don't know," Becca pushed her hair away from her face. "We were fine, then the day he went out on a mission, Garrett came and got him. The two said like maybe 5 words to each other. Hell I think he said more to me then Steve and then left. After that Steve has been standoffish and just is acting out of character-"

"-He's jealous of Garrett."

The words had her reeling for a second, not understanding where it was coming from. "What? No he's not."

"Really?" Eve rose a perfect blonde eyebrow in question of her doubt. "What did Garrett say to you during this exchange."

"Just that we should catch up when he was back."

"And how would you describe the atmosphere between the two of them?"

"I don't know…" She thought back to that day, she definitely did know. And now she was rethinking everything. "He was very tense with Steve...and weirdly happy with me."

Eve couldn't believe what her best friend just said, but she could clearly see that she was in denial of the situation. "Bec, I have a strong feeling that Steve likes you."

"He doesn't like me," she shook her brown hair hard, not allowing that thought to flow through her thoughts. "It's not possible."

"Why's that?"

"Because he's still in love with Peggy!" That was a loud outburst neither was expecting as her answer. Becca's eyes widened at the deep thoughts that had never broken across her lips. More things that were buried deep finding surface. "I...I don't know where that came from."

"Sounds like something you've been harboring for awhile." Eve had watched first hand the overwhelming compassion each had for the other. She's watched her best friend's eyes light up when he entered a room and how Steve hangs on to every word that Becca says. They were so blind to the emotions that were laid out right in front of them. "You like him, Becca."

"No I don't." She refused to admit to that notion. He had become one of her best friends, there was no way she would do anything to sabotage that even if the feelings were 'real'.

The world was spinning on a slow tilt when Becca opened her eyes. It could be the heat playing with her head, the lack of sleep, or the half bottle of tequila she drank by herself the night before. She knew the correct answer to the problem and internally told herself she would never drink that much ever again. Movement from outside of the bedroom caught her attention of what woke her up in the first place. Looking to her left she saw tufts of blonde locks hanging out from where the comforter was haphazardly thrown over their head, signalling to her that Eve was still passed out.

Agent mode kicked into her body, hangover be damned of the situation. She grabbed the knife that was tucked under her nightstand and forced herself into a dizzy standing position. On her tiptoes, the spy cautiously edged her way through the hallway, but the smell of food started to confuse her. Did someone really break into her apartment to cook breakfast and not try to kill them?

The knife slacked in her hand when she looked around the corner to see that the intruder in fact was cooking breakfast but also had a key to her apartment. Becca stood for a second watching Steve bustle around her kitchen cooking, and the remnants of the party for two Eve and herself had last night, cleaned up.

"I want you to know that I almost cut you." The brunette spoke up, walking into the kitchen and dropping the knife on the counter.

Steve turned around to look at her, a soft grin on his face. "Good Morning. Sorry, I didn't want to wake you two." His tone was a complete turn around from the night before. "You want coffee?"

"Steve…" She might be hungover to all hell, but she could read the overly fake tone in his words.

"Peace offering," he brought a mug towards her, "and an apology."

She looked down at the coffee and then back up to the man. She didn't know if she would right out accept his apology but she would sip on the coffee that she was craving. "It's a start."

He watched her sink onto the island bench, taking a deep drink from the coffee that he had made for her with her exact amount of creamer that she liked. After the phone call the night before, he almost ran upstairs automatically. But he needed to clear his own head and deal with internal issues before he took it out on Becca again. "What can I do to make this right?"

"Maybe next time don't freak out at me for reasons that I don't even know what I did."

"You didn't do anything…" Steve turned off the stove and sat beside her at the counter. "Something about Nielsen just...just gets under my skin. Ever since last year when you had your issues with him, I just can't let bygones be bygones." His words reminded her immediately of Eve's thoughts of the situation. "And I took it out on you and I shouldn't have. God, everything you do is trying to make other's lives better."

"I'm not a perfect person," her fingers circled the mug lip, "and I mess up. And when that happens I rather you tell me straight out then holding it back and I do it again. And I try to give you that same option."

"I know, and I appreciate that," he nodded, letting her words sink in. "You remind me a lot of Bucky sometimes." Her eyes found his again with wonder. "Supportive, unwavering friendship...kick my ass when I need it," they each chuckled, Steve watching her in awe of the smile that finally found her face again, "I'm sorry if you felt like I took you for granted in all you have done for me."

"I don't. We're on this weird ride together."

"Good to know. I have something else for you," he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I stopped to see Peggy this morning."

Her eyes stayed focused on the folded paper, knowing her eyes would fail her after her odd admission of the women the night before. "Oh, yeah?"

"I thought if an apology, breakfast and coffee wouldn't do the trick, there was something else I could do for you." Steve noticed her creasing the edges, keeping her eyes down. "Open it."

Her fingers unfolded the paper, for some reason anxious for what she was going to find on the other side.

Angela Martinelli

The name was the only thing written in curved handwriting that she expected was Peggy's. Her blood was pumping in her ears, throat finding hard to swallow.

"Maybe we can find out who this Angie is," Steve's voice was low as he watched her fight something inside of herself with the name in front of her. "See if she has something to do with your story."

Becca finally looked up at him, eyes seeing him in a new light for the first time. That burning was back, deep inside of her, but she wasn't fighting it this time. She was letting it consume her body, breath coming in short spurts as she looked deep into his ocean blue eyes. His face held a loose smile that she was sure was making her blush a deep crimson that she could blame the hangover that was bumping up against this other feeling. A feeling that she was finally allowing herself to think about and start to feel.

Becca Stark liked Steve Rogers.

Up Next: Families are defined and crushes are the worst.

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