Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to peek at this story. I'm working on it as we go along so I'm open to any and all suggestions about what I write and how I can improve. If there are any inconsistencies with the Marvel characters please let me know, I've only ever watched the films so I'm not very well versed in their histories.

This is going to be more of a family story and is set after the Avengers film. But I do have an idea about something action-y later on. And don't worry, the Avengers will have missions from time to time but I'm not likely to give much detail in them unless its crucial. What do you guys think about the title, Is it alright or would you rather it be something else? Please let me know :)

And thanks so much to AccioVoldemortsNose for her help. I really can't thank her enough for her opinion on this fic. :)
I think that's it, I hope you all enjoy this. I'll try to update once a week, it takes me a long time to actually write these chapters (I'm aiming for 3,000 words a chapter!)

Disclaimer: Marvel and Disney own the Avengers, not me. I only own my characters.

The steady thump, thump, thump echoed in the room. One after another, each hit bringing satisfying relief. His fists continued pounding into the punching bag which swayed this way and that from the endless beating it received. The blows soon relinquished though and the inflicter stood back, his broad shoulders hunched as he took even, steady breaths. Wiping sweat from his forehead Steve stepped over to the bench in his 1940's styled workout room and grabbed his bottle of water. He greedily gulped down the water, draining the bottle of its contents in mere seconds.

Breathing normally he began unwrapping his bandages from around his knuckles. The workout had done what it always did for him, relaxed and strengthened him emotion wise. He felt the release of his frustrations helped him to deal with this modern world, with all the changes that had gone on and were still going on these days. He rubbed his face and after packing his bag up he began to head back to his apartment in Stark Towers. Steve moved into Stark Towers at Tony's insistence, although he still thought the building was ugly. Bruce also lived here, though he and Tony normally were found in the lab together. They had a "bromance" as Clint and Natasha put it. When Tony wasn't with Bruce, he was normally bothering everyone or bothering Pepper. Clint and Natasha lived elsewhere, although Tony still had apartments for them whenever they dropped by. They often went on missions together with Tony often insinuating these were more than "missions". Right now, the Avengers weren't needed but when they were they'd be ready.

He sighed slowly, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leaving the room that Tony had made specially for him. The whole floor was dedicated to working out and training but this room specifically was Steve's. The Captain was thankful for Tony's hospitality. Sometimes, Tony could be a nice guy but he still got on Steve's nerves. Steve walked down the hall and to the elevator. After it opened, he stepped inside.

"To your apartment sir?" The artificial intelligence, JARVIS, asked Steve as he stepped in.

"Yes, thank you JARVIS." Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck. He still felt uncomfortable talking to basically nothing, although JARVIS didn't seem to mind. Probably because he wasn't a human, still Steve felt the need to be polite. Once they were on the correct floor the doors opened and Steve slipped out of the elevator. He walked down the hall and found his apartment. He entered the code that Tony gave him for his apartment and stepped inside.

Steve's apartment was simple, not too advanced for his tastes and he was thankful for it. One side of the room was a small kitchen with a breakfast nook that was nestled along the window that spanned most of the wall. The kitchen itself was white cabinets and dark granite counter tops. The walls were a pale red in color and the cushions on the nook's seats were a darker shade of red. It was plain, clean, and most of all simple. The living room was also black and white. The leather couch was white and sat in front of a black coffee table and a big TV. Steve didn't even bother trying to work the set right now. He'd tried once and vowed not to ever again. There was an "accent wall" that was colored a shade of red, bringing more color to the room. Contrasting the red was a blue vase on the table that had yet to be filled with anything. He also had a dark wood shelf that contained some gifts from Natasha and Clint from their travels.

Off to the side was a doorway that lead to Steve's bedroom. The doors slid rather than opening the usual way, which took some getting used to. Steve left them open most of the time. His room consisted of white furniture, apart from the bed frame which was black. His walls were a off white and he had a bookcase that was filled with a few World War II books and movies and such things to help him catch up on what he missed. The floors throughout the apartment were dark wood, not exactly black though. On the left there was a bathroom that had the usual bathroom things, including a tiled floor.

Overall, Steve liked his apartment and wouldn't mind staying here the rest of his life, however long it may be. He let his gym bag in his bedroom and headed into the bathroom for a much needed shower.

Adrianna sat inside Stark Towers waiting for Tony Stark to come inside. He was making her wait in here on purpose. She sighed slowly and as she waited she stood up from the dark couch and walked over to the window that overlooked the entire city. The nighttime lights made the city appear much more vibrant than it did in the day, and in effect much prettier, in her opinion. She idly twisted her dark hair in her fingers, bored and anxious. She really, really needed this job. She really had no clue what she'd do without it. All of a sudden a voice rang out.

"Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts have arrived Ms. Harding."

"What?" Adrianna looked around, surprised and ending up seeing Tony Stark and Pepper Potts entering the room. Tony walked in with his usual swagger and Pepper was holding her resume and a few other files in her arms.

"That was JARVIS. He's my artificial intelligence system and he runs the tower and my house." He explained, taking her resume from Pepper and motioning her to join them at the table. She was seated across from them both. Pepper looked like she was all business and Tony seemed not really interested in being here. The billionaire was dressed in a button down shirt and some black slacks while his red headed CEO was dressed in a gray skirt and a white blouse. Adrianna had heard that Pepper needed an assistant and had jumped at the opportunity to work here. Of course, she had applied elsewhere just in case they declined.

"Well Ms. Harding," Pepper started, looking up at her, "Your resume is quite nice."

"Thank you very much," It may not sound like a lot but Pepper's praise really made Adrianna hopeful.

"You worked with the Mythbusters?" Tony's abrupt question caught Adrianna off guard but she nodded.

"Yeah, I mostly did research but sometimes I'd help out with tracking down the equipment they'd need or running errands."

"Wow, okay. That is really cool." He stated, ignoring Pepper's eyeroll. She seemed annoyed with his interruption but simply carried on with the interview.

"Any particular reason you want to work with us here at Stark Industries?"

"Well, while I can work anywhere I really just decided to test my luck. I really need to get a job soon so I figured why not? Besides, what you do at Stark Industries really interests me. I was always curious about what you'd do outside of the weapons industry and now that you're in the clean energy business my interest has grown even more. I took a gamble," Adrianna simply shrugged and smiled softly. Inside, her insides were churning in anxiety.

"Looks like your gamble paid off Adrianna," Tony held his hand out. Adrianna's eyes widened as she looked at the man.

"Welcome to Stark Industries." Pepper didn't seem so surprised at his statement, it seemed they had already made up their minds about this, perhaps why it'd taken so long for them to get here.

"Oh my- Really? Wow... Thank you so much Mr. Stark. And Miss Potts." They shook hands, as did Pepper and Adrianna. It was so surreal to her. She really couldn't believe she'd be working for Tony and Pepper.

"Just call me Tony," He waved off her formalities, as did Pepper when she added she'd rather be addressed as Pepper as well. Adrianna nodded, storing the information away.

"Okay. And you can just call me Adrianna. I mean, if that's alright with you of course." They both smiled and agreed that it'd be fine.

"Now, we need to sort out workdays. What time are you able to come in, what days work for you, all that jazz." Pepper held a pen and some forms with her as Tony spoke.

"I can come into work at anytime you need me to during the week. I just need to be home by seven, eight at the latest. I don't like keeping the sitter very long," Adrianna explained. Tony looked at her curiously.

"Sitter? Like a babysitter?" He asked.

"Yeah, I have a twelve month old at home." Adrianna smiled fondly and pulled her iPhone out for them to see. Her screensaver was a picture of her daughter holding her new teddy bear, chewing his ear in earnest. "This is Sadie."

"Oh how sweet!" Pepper crooned, admiring the baby. "She looks just like you." Adrianna blushed lightly and thanked her while putting her phone aside.

"Okay so from eight A.M. to five P.M. then, And you'll get breaks for lunch and things of course. Now about weekends..." Tony continued on.

"Okay so we'll see you next week."

Tony smiled as the three parted. Adrianna nodded, confirming she'd be in on Monday. She was comfortable with the schedule they'd worked out, shocked about how much money Tony was willing to pay her and had managed to lower it... somewhat, and was quite ready to go home and relieve her father from babysitting duty. After saying her goodbyes she left the room and headed to the elevator.

As the elevator opened a man stepped out while she was walking in making them both run into each other.

"Sorry!" Both adults were quick to apologize and Adrianna looked up at the man she was speaking to. He was much taller than she was and was wearing a white t shirt and tan pants. Looking up Adrianna could see he had blond hair that wasn't in a style she recognized and his eyes were a clear blue. He seemed to be studying her as well and she hurriedly took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I should've been watching where I was going," Steve apologized to the young woman and felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Really, it didn't help that he bumped into someone pretty.

"Same goes for me," Adrianna replied feeling just as awkward. She was about to step inside the elevator when Tony came back out.

"Adrianna, you forgot this." Tony was holding her phone in his hand as he walked towards them. Noticing it was Cap that Adrianna was stalled by he couldn't help but smirk. Maybe Adrianna working for him and Pepper would be even more interesting than he initially planned. Stepping over he handed her the phone.

"So Adrianna I see you've met Steve." Tony looked between them both while Steve's eyes were now locked on the arrogant Tony Stark. He didn't really look so pleased with Tony either. Adrianna didn't notice the displeasure and thanked Tony for bringing her the phone.

"Uh, not officially..." She glanced up at Steve who softened when he looked down at her. He slowly took her hand and shook it.

"Steve Rogers."

"Adrianna Harding." She smiled and then thought over his name. Her eyes widened. "Wait wait wait, you mean you're the Steve Rogers, Captain America?"

He blushed and nodded, stiffening just a bit as she put the pieces together. Steve really wasn't used to being recognized and he found he liked the anonymity better, which was of course why he wore his mask in the first place. But he wouldn't be able to avoid being recognized forever and he simply had to accept the fact.

"Wow, its... its an honor to meet you Captain," Adrianna looked up at him in awe. She could remember stories her grandpa had told her when she was younger, of how Captain America had given his life to save the world all those years ago. Adrianna had been, and admittedly still was, surprised to hear of a man so selfless that he'd give up everything he knew for so many people. If anyone had told her that in just twenty years she'd meet him she'd have laughed in their face.

"Thank you," Steve gave a wane smile and accepted the compliment although he still felt as though he'd just been doing his job and nothing more. Before anything more could be said though the young woman realized she was taking up their time. She smiled to both Tony and Steve.

"Its been great meeting you both but I've got to run. I'll see you on Monday Tony!" She waved as she stood in the elevator. The doors soon closed and JARVIS whisked her away. Meanwhile, Tony glanced at Steve with a cocky grin.

"Getting back in the game old man?" He clapped a hand on the soldier's shoulder.

"No. What game?" Steve shook his head, his brows furrowing in confusion. What was Stark talking about this time? Tony groaned and shook his own head in disbelief.

"Nevermind. Did you need something Cap?"

Adrianna stood on her father's porch and began inserting her key. It was all so familiar here, nothing had changed. The potted plants were still outside, empty but certainly not neglected. She sighed gently and let herself inside. The flat was comfortably warm and she could smell her father's "famous" Spaghetti-O's had been cooked earlier. She rolled her eyes at the mess that he and Sadie must have made together because amongst the lingering saucy smell was Pine-Sol.

"Dad? I'm back." She looked around and chuckled at the sight of her father lazing on the couch with Sadie curled up right next to him. He lifted his head and gave his daughter a wide smile causing his wrinkles to become more pronounced. Adrianna returned the grin and walked over as he adjusted his position.

"Thank you for watching her," Adrianna kissed his cheek and hugged her father's neck. He gave a throaty chuckle and hugged her with one of his arms, the other still cradling his granddaughter.

"You don't have to thank me for watching my grandbaby kiddo."

"I do when its taken this long. How was she?" Adrianna couldn't help but brush her daughter's sweet little curls from her porcelain face. She had her father's curls. The memory was sudden but as soon as it hit Adrianna shoved it aside. No.She would not think of him today. He moved on and so could she. David looked at his daughter with soft concern but didn't mention he'd noticed her inner turmoil. She'd come to him when she was ready and obviously she wasn't.

"She was perfect Addi, as she always is." He smiled and watched the young mother. She was a lot like her own mom had been, gentle and unsure of herself but constantly proving she was ready for whatever was thrown at her.

"How did the interview go?"

"It went great. I got the job." Adrianna beamed proudly to her father. "Tony and Pepper are so nice, you should meet them sometime if we get the chance. I think you'd like them. And Pepper already likes Sadie."

"I'm glad to hear that sweetheart," He chuckled again and looked up to his daughter fondly. "I'm so proud of you."

"Oh dad," Adrianna blushed a little and smiled. "I'm proud of you too ya know."

"Yes I know. And you should get home before it gets too late," He patted her hand. Adrianna nodded and picked up her baby girl gingerly. Although Sadie gave a moment's protest she snuggled up against her mother's warm body and stayed asleep. David helped Adrianna carry out Sadie's diaper bag and set it in the trunk while Adrianna put her daughter in the child seat in her rear seats. Sadie was strapped in and a blanket tucked over her body as she slept on undisturbed. Adrianna smiled and let her be with a closing of the door. Stepping back she looked at her father again and hugged him tightly.

"Love you daddy, and thank you again."

"I love you too sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head and gave her one last squeeze before letting her go. "Go on Addi, be safe."

"I will." And with that Adrianna got in the driver's seat, set her purse in the back and then buckled herself in. Soon she was back out on the street and driving back to her home. Once her car was out of sight David went back inside his own home silently looking forward to their next visit.

At home Adrianna had managed to get Sadie into bed again without waking her up. Her daughter was a good sleeper but with that came the fact she'd be rising early. Adrianna didn't mind though, that just meant more time to spend with her baby girl the next day. She cleaned up their tiny apartment, locked her door and windows, and then took a scorching but short shower. It all left her body tired, longing for the nice soft bed she had. On the right was baby's crib, against the wall and tucked to the corner to keep her safe. On the left was her nightstand with a dimly lit lamp and her alarm clock. Adrianna yawned, pulling on a nightshirt and leaving her hair damp as she crawled under the covers. She turned out the lamp, darkening the room. Through the slits of her blinds the moonlight seeped in, shafts of white light shining in gently. Adrianna closed her eyes and let sleep claim her... at least until six the next morning.