Chapter 1 - Stevie

January 8, 2014, 8:30 a.m.

All that is gold does not glitter.

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

J. R. R. Tolkien

The walls of Zorba's gleamed with burnished copper pots, their warm glow at odds with the flat gray sky outside the cafe. Through the window, Stevie watched the few pedestrians hurry off to work, collars turned up against the cold. The smell of the cafe was comforting around her - strong coffee, butter, cinnamon and lemon. Maggie was a solid weight in her lap. The girl didn't like highchairs - she preferred to be held, and Stevie, perhaps guilty for her occasional and unpredictable absences, always obliged. She looked down at her daughter's mop of dark hair, already unruly despite that morning's combing. And where had her barrettes gone? Stevie sighed and kissed her curly head, inhaling to catch her daughter's scent. The girl would pull off clips the moment Stevie's back was turned, resisting any attempt to tame her hair.

"Little monkey," Stevie murmured.

Maggie reached up and touched her mother's cheek with a chubby hand.

"Mama," she said. "Cake, mama!"

"Alright, alright!" Stevie laughed. "Open up." She crumbled a bite off her slice of lemon pound cake and Maggie opened her mouth obediently, like a baby bird.

"Alright there, Captain?" The waiter was a tall young man named Jacob, with one of the carefully cultivated beards that was – surprisingly – fashionable these days. "Can I get you another?"

"Yes, please." He returned her small cup filled to the brim. She took a sip and sighed happily – good Greek coffee, sweet and strong and simple - nothing like those hot milkshakes people tried to pass off as coffee these days.

Stevie had moved in last month, and her little top-floor apartment was in the building next door. The ceilings slanted inward to create a cozy little nook, and the tree branches outside the tall windows gave the impression of living in a treehouse. She'd seen some old nests wedged securely into the boughs – maybe the birds would return in spring. How lovely that would be for little Maggie, growing up surrounded by birdsong.

Not that we get to spend much time at home, Stevie thought ruefully. The last month had been a whirlwind – between moving in and getting used to her new job she hadn't even had time to cook the meals whose ingredients she had so optimistically bought and stashed in the shining cabinets of her new kitchen. She was pretty sure the potatoes were sprouting in there. After a long day at work, it was just too easy to run down to Zorba's for a gyro. But now that she had some actual vacation time was she using it to get to know the city? No – she was going back to New York for a few days with Tony and Pepper.

Ah well, Stevie thought. There will be plenty of time to play tourist. Maggie reached suddenly for her coffee cup and she shifted it quickly away, to the girl's protests.

"That's not for you, sweetheart," Stevie soothed. "You have enough energy as it is."

In her pocket, her phone played the rock song that Tony had set as the ringtone for his own calls. She pulled it out, trying to negotiate pressing the "answer" button while keeping the phone out of her daughter's sticky grasp.

"Hey, Rogers," Tony's face filled the screen. Maggie grabbed for the image, calling "To-to! To-to!"

"Whoa!" Stevie laughed. "Hold on..." She put the phone flat on the table, out of Maggie's reach, and pressed the button that projected a holo-display from the phone's screen. The face of Tony Stark hovered in the air. Mollified, Maggie bounced in Stevie's lap and giggled.

"Hey, Mags!" Tony grinned and waved at the girl. "Ready for our visit? I have a lot of fun new toys for you to play with."

"To-to!"

"Happy's on his way to pick you up already. Ready to deploy, Rogers?"

"We are packed and ready for action. Ready for a great time with Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper, right, Maggie?"

"Well..." Tony rubbed the back of his head. "About that...Pepper...won't be here."

"What? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Tony said hurriedly. "She just wanted a bit of a...break. She's at her sister's upstate."

"Oh, Tony," Stevie sighed. What she was about to say next was cut off by the "incoming call – urgent" icon in the corner.

"Hold on, I've got to take this," she said. "Don't hang up – you aren't off the hook yet."

She made a mid air swiping gesture that interrupted Tony's grumbled reply. The face that replaced his was Natasha's.

"Na-na!" Maggie reached out to the woman – completely unsurprised by the faces of her friends hovering in the air. What still seemed like magic to Stevie was ordinary to her daughter.

Maybe that's how it always is, Stevie reflected.

"Hey, kiska." Natasha gave Maggie a warm smile, then turned an apologetic look at Stevie. "Hey, Stevie. Are you already in New York?"

"Why do you ask?" Stevie replied, arching one eyebrow.

"Well...there's something of a...situation. A situation of the...hostage...variety."

Stevie sighed. She had the feeling her vacation was already over.

"Any nonclassified details?"

"Indian Ocean. Ship full of scientists."

"Full?"

"Ship's crew plus research staff. Sixty-four people."

Stevie whispered a curse under her breath, then kissed Maggie's hair guiltily. "Alright," she said. "Briefing at the Triskelion?"

"One hour. Sorry, Rogers." She waved at Maggie. "Sorry kiska. For what it's worth, it should be an easy job. In and out. I'll make it up to you both, I promise."

Natasha disconnected, and Tony's tired face reappeared.

"Ready to rake me over the coals?" He asked.

"It'll have to wait. Natasha called. There's a 'situation' in the Indian Ocean that requires my unique skills." Stevie shifted Maggie to her other knee. "Looks like the vacation is postponed."

"For you. Maggie's not going, is she? She can still come out. Send her with Happy. We'll have a great time."

"What? Alone? I don't know..." While Tony was a good man, and undoubtedly devoted to Maggie, Stevie wasn't entirely sure she'd trust him to watch a houseplant without Pepper.

"Hey, you left her with Barton. You don't trust me? I'm her godfather!"

"Godfather, hm? I seem to remember you being conspicuously absent from her christening."

Tony opened his mouth, closed it, rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry. You said you forgave me for that."

Stevie saw the dark circles under Tony's eyes, the unmistakable weariness. Pepper had told her that he didn't sleep, stayed up working on new suits at all hours of the night, woke up with nightmares. Stevie wondered what he and Pepper had fought about.

"I did. I do. Forgive you." Stevie said. Maggie had seized her spoon when she wasn't looking and was beating on the table. Stevie tried to reclaim it, and the girl clung to it with an obstinate "No!" Stevie gave up.

"Natasha said it won't take long," she continued. "When it's over, we can come straight to New York. In the meantime, I think you should get some rest. You don't look too good."

Tony looked like he was about to argue, then smiled ruefully. "You know how to compliment a man, Rogers. I'll tell Happy to turn the car around."

"See you soon."

Tony's face disappeared, and the call disconnected with a soft beep.

In her apartment, Stevie unpacked and repacked with all the efficiency her military career had instilled in her. Change of clothes and pajamas for Maggie. Extra diapers. Special blanket. Snacks. And Zadu, of course. The strange-looking doll – a gift from Bruce - had been through the wash a few times and lost some hair, but Maggie wouldn't fall asleep without it. "Zadu" was what Maggie had named the doll as soon as she saw it. The name may have meant "yellow" or "flower" - the doll did have a large yellow flower in what was left of her fuzzy yarn hair – but the true meaning was an enigma.

Stevie looked around the apartment and sighed. She had worked hard to make it at least appear "lived-in." She had scoured second-hand shops for scuffed furniture and dog-eared books, crowded the rose-colored walls with charcoal sketches and watercolors she'd made during her sleepless early days of motherhood. Central Park in winter. A huge ship being built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The exterior of an Italian cafe, two figures just visible through the window, faces golden in the lamplight, one dark-haired, one blonde. She touched the glass, just over the dark-haired figure's face.

"Unexpected mission. Wish me luck."

Stevie scooped up her daughter from where the girl was trying to climb into the threadbare love seat.

"Well, Mags," she said as she locked the apartment and hustled down the stairs to the front door, "looks like the vacation is on hold. I'm glad you're too young to be disappointed."

Back outside, Stevie pulled a woolly hat over Maggie's curls to keep her from the cold and the girl gave her a bright, baby smile. Her eyes were a long-lashed, vivid green - so much like Bucky's that Stevie felt a sudden pang of sadness. It could still take her by surprise, even now. How much she missed him.

"Excuse me." A voice interrupted Stevie's reverie.

A silver sedan had pulled up to the curb, tinted window rolling down to reveal Natasha's fox-like grin. "Can you direct me to the Smithsonian? I need to pick up a fossil."

"You're hilarious," Stevie grumbled, pulling open the rear door.

Natasha stuck out her tongue at Maggie as Stevie struggled to buckled her into the carseat.

"Were you watching me?" Stevie asked. "Your timing is uncanny."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Natasha said. "Now get in – we've got a boat to save."

We're back in action! A big thank you to readers old and new!

If you are new - this will make more sense if you read the first two entries in the series - The Sword for Its Sharpness and Things Time Cannot Mend.

Unlike my past stories, I've already written most of this one - about 26 chapters. I will try to update weekly, hopefully finishing up the remaining chapters as I post these.

Not a lot of historical research went into this story - but Zorba's is a real restaurant, and it's next door to the building used for Steve's apartment in the Winter Soldier movie.

As always, I welcome your comments!