Lunch with Steve
The next morning I woke a little before 10 am and got ready for my day ahead. I was meeting Steve at noon so I did have some time to get ready before then.
I decided to jump in the shower before getting dressed.
Once done I decided on a lovely summer dress as it was looking like a pretty nice day out.
After I was ready I walked out of my room to find both Dad and Pepper going over some plans at the table.
"Good morning," I told them both as I walked into the kitchen to get some food.
"Good morning sweetie, How did you sleep?"
"Well, thank you."
"Good morning Baby girl. You know I think this is the latest I have seen you sleep in for a while."
"I guess I just needed it."
"Well, you were out late."
"At least I came home.
"Well played daughter of mine."
"You know I know all of your tricks."
"I guess I will need to be more careful."
"Would be a good idea, I am sure. So what are you working on?"
"Plans to fix the tower and also plans on going back to Malibu."
"So you are planning to go back then?"
"I think we should spend some time there, Why?"
"I don't think I want to live there anymore. New York has always been my home and I missed it. Plus I miss all of my friends while I am there and work. I think I will stay here, but I will come to visit if you move back there full time and spend holidays with you as well."
"If that is how you feel then maybe that is what you should do. I just don't like you being here all alone."
"Dad if you have learned anything in the last week it is that I am never alone. I have so many people always looking out for me. Plus you will need to come here for work and I can supervise the fixing of the tower as well if I am here."
"You have thought this through."
"I have, I guess I just need time and people that I have missed by not being here. Staying here so much lately has shown me how much I missed not being here all of the time and I am ready to stay home. Plus I want to be close to Peggy, I don't know how much more time we will have with her but I really want to make the most of the time I do have with her. All that has happened has shown me life is short and I want to enjoy every moment of all of it with all the people I care about. But don't worry because you will still see me so much that you will get sick of me."
"I could never get sick of you baby girl. I also know that this is something you need to do even if I don't like the idea of not seeing your smiling face every day."
"You do remember there is a thing called video chat where you can see my face every day."
"I know, I will just miss you is all."
"I will miss you but we will make time to see each other as often as we can."
"Yes, we will. I love you, baby girl."
"I love you too daddy."
"So what are your plans for today?"
"Lunch with friends and then whatever happens."
"That sounds very vague."
"Sometimes it is nice to go with the flow, but I need to head out so I am not late. I will text you later to let you know when I will be home. Love you, dad." I said as I got up and kissed his cheek.
"Love you too baby girl."
"Love you, Pepper," I said and we quickly hugged before I picked up my bag.
"Love you, sweetheart."
"Goodbye, see you both later."
"Bye," they both told me and I headed out to meet up with Steve. Opening my bag I saw the cards and gave a sad smile but knowing I will do this for Phil.
Steve and I both got to the cafe at the same time and I smiled at him as we walked toward one another.
"You look beautiful."
"Thank you. You look nice yourself." I told him as we walked over to a booth and set down.
"Thank you, How have you been?"
"I have been alright, thank you. What about yourself?"
"I am good, trying to make sense of all that happened."
"It was a lot that is for sure."
"It was, I also wanted to tell you sorry for your loss, you both seemed close from what the others said."
"Thank you, we were very close. I have known Phil my whole life and it's weird thinking that he's not just always going to be there for me. I am pretty good at finding trouble and driving people at SHIELD crazy. But Phil was always there and had my back. He would get frustrated with me from time to time but he was always there."
"You cared for him a great deal. What was it about when you met Thor thought that Clint brought up?"
"When we first met Thor, Phil told me to wait he didn't want me around him until he knew if Thor was safe for me to be around and I didn't listen and talked to him anyway. I tend to do things like that."
"So he was just worried about your safety."
"He always worried about me. It's what he did. A few years ago, before all of this he was on an assignment with his best friend and the mission went south. It changed her, she's not the person she was before and it was really hard on Phil because they were so close. When I was younger I always thought they would end up together because they were so good together. I would go undercover with them and we would play family. They are my godparents that my mom picked out. She met them through SHIELD things and they became close. That's the reason they sent Phil every time my dad needed an agent. They knew that I work well with him and I would be able to help him with dad as he helped me. So much has changed the last few years and It has taken a toll on all of us."
"That's a lot to go through. Are you still close to her?"
"I guess in a way, I don't see her like I use to but I plan to go and see her and see how she is doing. I guess at this point I don't know what to do or how to help people when I can't keep the people I care about safe anymore."
"You do know It is not all on you. The rest of us could not put our differences aside to work together and that is why we were taken off guard and you got hurt. Why he died, don't blame yourself for something that was not even your fault to start with. You tried to get us to stop and listen but we didn't. Nothing that happened is in any way your fault so please don't think that it is."
"Thanks, Steve but some of it is my fault and I am going to need to be ok with that. One day I will be but for now, I just need to make the most of all that has happened and hope that It can teach me so that I can do better and be better."
The waiter came over and we placed our order before he walked away again.
"You know at the end of the day all we really can do is try our best and then try better the next day. I know right now things are going to be hard for you but I hope that someday soon you will see all of the good you have done and all of the good I am sure that you will do still."
"Thank you, Steve. Although I have a question for you, well really more of a favor to ask really."
"What is it?"
"It might sound a little weird but Phil wanted you to sign his cards. While his are…well you know. Howard had so many Captain America things I don't even know what he planned to do with it all. Though I guess thinking about it, it makes some more sense why my dad was not really welcoming to you. But on to the matter at hand, I have an extra set of cards and I was wondering if maybe as long as you are ok with it. If you could sign them for him still. I know it sounds crazy and silly and you are so allowed to say no and I will understand. Just at the moment, there is not a lot that I can control and do and this is something that I can. But feel free to say no if this is too weird."
"Rebekah, stop, I would love to sign them. It's really sweet what you are doing and I am sure he would be so grateful to you for it. Do you have them or will we need to get them later?"
"I have them here. Are you sure though?"
"Yes Rebekah, it is the very least I could do."
"Alright, thank you." I slowly pull them out of my bag and hand them to Steve.
"You are sure right?"
"Yes, do you have something I could use to sign them?"
"Right, of course." Digging around in my bag I pull out a pen and hand it to him.
"These look really nice."
"They are brand new. Have another set at the house, Howard got anything Captain America related. I think it was a way to help him cope with not being able to find you. He looked for so long and never wanted to give up. Peggy would tell me that trying to find you and then trying to live up to how you made him feel as a person was what drove him to do so many things."
"How do you mean?"
"Well if you ask Tony Stark he will tell you that Howard was not a good father and I guess in a way he was not very good. If people look at my dad they could say Tony Stark is just like Howard Stark in every way and that includes being a father. Though for me I see it a little differently. Both of them are driven by the science of things, figuring out how things work and how to make them better. Kids don't fall it that. I love my dad, I truly do but he was not always there. Another reason Phil and I were so close. Even though my dad is far from the best he's mine and that is all that matters to me because I know at the end of the day he loves me. Howard, while not a great dad, he loved his son and just was not good at showing it. Peggy and Anna both use to tell me how nervous he was before dad was born and then how he was when he was a baby and little. As dad got older they grew apart and had a hard time seeing eye to eye. Then I came along and from what I have always been told I changed things for both of them. Suddenly they both saw each other in ways that they had not before. Howard was a complicated person but once you had his love it was yours for the keeping. My dad still has a hard time when it comes to him and will also have a hard time with you because of Howard for the time being. Once you get to know each other I think you could become friends if you really wanted to."
"You have a lot of faith in that."
"I do and I know that things will work out somehow."
"Well, I will do my best to help things along then." He handed me the cards and I looked at them with a smile.
"Thank you, Steve, I know you will do all you can. Thank you for the cards as well It means a lot to me."
"Of course, anything I can do to help you just let me know."
"I will, you truly are an amazing guy."
"I am trying my very best." We both laughed and ate our food as it came out to us.
As we ate our food we changed the conversation to a lighter one and then headed out once we were done and had paid.
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Steve asked once we were outside.
"I'm not sure, I don't need to go to work or anything like that but I also don't have a sure plan. I think that I need to go see someone and how they are holding up though."
"Your friend?"
"Yes, it is what I should do and I think we both need each other."
"You should go then."
"You would be alright if I cut our day short?"
"Of course, you have something a little more important to do."
"Thank you, Steve, you are truly an amazing guy."
"You're welcome, I will see you soon I hope."
"Yes, you will. Thank you for lunch and the talk it helped a lot."
"You are very welcome. Let me know how things go."
"I will, see you later Steve goodbye."
"Goodbye Rebekah, be safe."
"I will." Waving goodbye I made my way to my car and started the drive.
As I was driving I called Nat.
"Hey, cute girl what are you up to?"
"I decided I needed to go see her."
"Are you ready for it?"
"I don't know but you know it is what I should do."
"What do you need me to do?"
"If my dad asks I need you to cover for me and tell him I am with you."
"Of course, I will. Let me know how it goes."
"I will Love you, Nat."
"Love you too sweetie." We said our goodbyes and I got off the phone with her before calling dad. He picked up on the second ring.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing dad, just because I call doesn't mean something is wrong. Anyways I was just calling you to let you know that I would be spending the night with Nat."
"Miss. Romanoff the secret double agent."
"Yes and dad you can call her Natasha. Plus she is my friend and mom trusted her."
"Well, I guess if she did I should as well."
"I will see you tomorrow. Bye Dad love you."
"See you then, love you too baby girl." I got off the phone with dad as I pulled up.
Getting out I walked into the building and to the apartment door and knocked. I waited until the door opened and gave a small smile to the one that answered.
"Hi, Melinda."