6. Getting to Know Each Other

          The plan was for me to stay at Steve's place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and leave Monday morning. I was so excited to get to know my father on a personal level and hoped that it would end happily. We arrived at Steve's apartment with all the things that I would need for the weekend. His place was very tidy and moderately decorated. When we walked past the living room, I noticed a record player on one of the shelves and smiled to myself. He may be currently living in the 21st century, but he was definitely from the 20th century. Steve directed me to a reasonably sized room that had a blow-up mattress and a side table.

"This is will be your room this weekend," Steve said as he guided me with a hand on my back, "I know it's not great right now, but if you decide that you want to stay longer, it can be a fun bonding activity for us to do."

I chuckled,

"It's perfect, Steve. Thank you." I laid my bag on the floor and hugged him. I felt him hesitate for a moment, presumably a little shocked, but he hugged me back after a few seconds. I picked up my bag again and placed it on the mattress. Then, I followed Steve back out into the living room and sat in an armchair. Steve sat in another armchair after he had brought us both glasses of water.

"So, where should we start?" Steve asked with a smile. I smiled as well and reached over to shake his hand,

"Hi, I'm Katie. Katie Rogers."

Steve chuckled at my goofiness.

"It's nice to meet you, Katie Rogers. I'm Steve Rogers."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. Tell me about yourself, Steve."

"Well, Katie, I was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 4th, 1918. My parents were Sarah and Joseph Rogers, and my best friend was James Buchanan Barnes, but I called him Bucky. And- What's that face for?" Steve asked me while I tried to stop myself from laughing. I loved the idea of getting to know each other, but the problem was that I had already spent my early learning days learning all about Steve and his life.

"See, when I first started school, Uncle Nick had me do a lot of research about, well, you. I never really understood why, but I guess I do now," I gave Steve an embarrassed smile.

"Ok, then why don't you tell me the basics about you first, and after, we can ask each other some questions that we don't already know the answers to."

"Ok," I grinned, "Well, I was born in New York on January 15th, 2001, and I am an Agent-in-Training at S.H.I.E.L.D. My family consists of uncles and aunts, all non-biological, and now my father, you. I have super strength and force field abilities, and I am trained in many forms of combat and ballet."

"I can't believe you inherited my super-soldier serum from a sample of my blood. Science has really improved," Steve said, flabbergasted.

"I don't have all of your strength, but I can match it pretty well, as far as I know."

"We should try and test that sometime, Kiddo," he chuckled, and I giggled at the nickname that I'd only ever had Uncle Clint call me.

"That would be a fun activity."

"So, what would you like to know, Miss Katie Rogers?"

"Hmmm, what was it like when you became Captain America?"

"Well, it was a little nerve-racking, but I knew it was worth a shot if I wanted to protect the people that I cared about. Dr Erskine gave me a chance to do my part in the world, and I'm forever grateful for his work."

"I read about Dr Erskine, but hearing about him from you makes it even better and more real. Your turn."

Steve and I ended up talking for a while about so many things. We talked more about the war and learning to adapt after waking up in the ice. Then we talked about what I thought about doing in the future and my goals for the present. Later, we ended up talking about simple stuff, like favourite colours, animals, foods, songs, movies, and any other random things that we could think of. It was one of the best few hours I had had in a long time. Eventually, Steve looked at the time,

"We should be having something to eat right about now, huh?"

"I didn't even notice," I giggled.

"Well, how about we go out and get your favourite?"

"Pizza?" I asked with a joking expression.

"You just said it was cheeseburgers?" Steve looked so confused, and I couldn't help but start laughing. "I'm kidding!" I said between uncontrollable laughs and landed on the floor. Steve chuckled and walked over to help me up.

"So, where would you like to go?"

"Burger Heaven!"

We hopped on Steve's motorcycle and headed off to grab dinner.

The weekend was full of enjoyable things. Steve and I talked and learned even more about each other, and we did lots of bonding activities. On Saturday, we went out for a walk around the city while Steve showed me some of the places that had and hadn't changed, and it was very interesting and fun. Sunday, we had spent the morning making pancakes, eggs, and a batch of cookies for later. Then, we spent the afternoon and evening at Luna Park, having fun and getting to know each other even more. We had each won a prize, I won a stuffed bunny, and Steve won a stuffed dog. When Monday morning came around, I didn't want to leave. Sure it wasn't always going to be like this, fun and games, but it wasn't just about that. I had my dad in my life, and I didn't want to grow up without him around. I felt like I belonged and wanted to stay.