TIME OF THEIR LIVES

SUMMARY: Your typical boy meets girl. The boy is Captain America and the girl is Chief Science Wrangler. It takes them 5 months, 23 days, 4 hours, and 16 minutes to fall for each other. It only takes four words to rip their world apart.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This. This is the one that will NOT leave me alone. And I know that I have other stuff that I should be working on… but. I just. Can't.

Chapter One: A Chance Meeting

Steve Rogers knew that when Thor moved into the Avenger's Tower, he brought with him his 'Beloved' and everything that Dr. Jane Foster needed to do her science. He knew that it was a somber affair – HYDRA had hit her lab the week before and set her research back months (if not years). Some of the damages could never be repaired. Steve didn't really think there was anything he could really help her with, so while he wasn't actively avoiding her, he wasn't actively seeking her out either.

Steve was strolling causally through the halls on his way to Tony's lab when he first heard the screaming. Forgetting about checking in with Stark's progress on locating Bucky, Steve took off at a dead run headed towards the noise – towards Jane Foster's new lab. Someone was screaming for help, and it was his duty to provide.

Upon entering the spacious lab allotted to Jane Foster he found the screamer – a pretty brunette in worn, comfortable clothing – kneeling at the side of someone on the ground unconscious. The brunette was just out of reach of the person on the floor and tears streaked down their face. She was hunched over on her knees and kept reaching out to touch the person on the ground – pulling back at the last second.

"JANE! Come on Jane! Wake up! Don't do this! I told you and I told you, you need to EAT! JANE!" Assuming that 'Jane' was the person on the floor, Steve stepped towards the pretty (irate) brunette and offered his help.

"Miss? Can you tell me what's going on here?" he interrupted her tirade of her unconscious friend. The lady jerked backwards and stared up into his face like she couldn't believe he was sitting there talking to her. She jerked her eyes back to the woman on the ground and responded.

"She just passed out. I don't think she's eaten since Thor brought her in… You… You've got to get her to medical! PLEASE!" Steve leaned forward to pick Jane up in his arms, directing his attention to the other.

"She have some sort of disorder?" After all, it was important to collect as much information as possible.

The girl was finally calming down and snorted at that. "No, Jane's a scientist. She gets wrapped up in her Science and forgets basic human necessities like food, and sleep, and bathing." Now that she mentioned it, Steve could tell the tiny, tiny woman in his arms wasn't exactly… fresh. "She's just been so stressed out with everything and Thor's off world again… and she never listens to me anymore…" the girl trailed off.

Steve could understand how that was. He'd been heading down to the lab to check Tony's progress on finding Bucky, but also to check on Tony himself. He was exactly how the little spitfire in front of him described her friend. The only difference was, he had permission to bodily remove Tony from his lab from Pepper before it got this bad. Steve angled Jane so that he could get through the lab doorway without cracking her on the door frame and headed off to medical. He'd have to talk to Thor about letting him know when he was going off world so that Jane could be included in his 'scientist rounds' as Sam liked to call them.

He turned to say something to the pretty brunette to find that she hadn't followed him out of the lab. She was still kneeling where he'd found her, rumpled, and dried tear tracks streaming down her face. The way she was looking at him was making him uncomfortable. She was looking at him like he was a hero – not just some random passerby helping her and Jane out. He did the only thing he could see to do. He left her kneeling there and carried Jane Foster to the medical floor.

The pretty blue-eyed brunette wasn't far from his thoughts, though as he made his way to where Dr. Banner would hopefully help the lady in his arms. He didn't know it yet, but he'd just met the Chief Scientist Wrangle of the Avenger's Tower, Darcy Lewis. He didn't know it yet, but he'd just met the love of his life.