A/N: Okay, this has been running through my head since I saw the movie for the first time and I just finally, hopefully figured out how to start the whole bloody thing!

I only own Kat and otherwise I own nothing, nadda, zip, zilch. Which bites because if I did I wouldn't have to go to work tomorrow.

When I get to the X-Men in more depth, I did not base it on the movies! I kind of needed to keep the Professor around so I am basing my X-Men off the 1990s cartoon instead! I love that show! Seriously if you haven't seen it and you love X-Men go find it!

Alright, enough of my ramblings! Enjoy the first chapter!

CHAPTER 1

The sun was just starting to rise over the city of New York when Kat Silver managed to make it back to the city. She had spent the past weekend as she did every other weekend; hanging out at Xavier's mansion with the Professor's students and the X-Men. Of course if she had been smart, she would have headed back into the city the evening before, but Gambit had convinced her to stick around and play poker with him for a few hours which, of course, turned into most of the night as it always did and she found herself driving to her first class of Monday morning on only a few hours of sleep. The only good thing about that meant that she hadn't had to buy her coffee that morning and she gratefully sipped at the last of Gambit's home brewed coffee as she followed the familiar streets to campus. She glanced at the clock before turning the ignition off and grabbing her bag containing her texts and her computer and heading across the parking lot and into the main campus building.

She'd just pulled the door open when she heard someone calling to her from behind and she grinned to herself as she recognized the voice belonging to one of her few friends outside of Xavier's and she paused waiting for the other girl to catch up to her, "Morning, Darcy."

Darcy Lewis grinned as she stepped up beside her friend, "Hey, Kat! You look like hell."

Kat rolled her eyes and brushed her long silvery blonde hair from them as they headed inside and towards their first class, "I really should learn to just stay in the city rather than heading…home."

Inwardly Kat sighed as the familiar lie rolled from her tongue. Not that it was entirely a lie per say. She did consider Xavier's her home, but she never elaborated any further than that, allowing everyone around her to believe that it was as normal as they wanted it to be; not that she disappeared most weekends to hang out with fellow mutants. For once in her life, she was attempting something resembling normal and after having made a few friends outside of the mutant society she'd be damned if she was going to destroy that by suddenly revealing what she was. Of course she also knew that sooner or later they were going to find out; but why worry about that at the moment? For now she could be as normal as they were or at least pretend to be.

"You know, most university students look like hell when they aren't coming back from spending a weekend with the folks," Darcy teased and Kat shrugged with a small grin.

"What can I say? Home is where the chaos lives."

They were still laughing when they slipped into the classroom and grabbed two seats, sitting near the back of the class as they usually did and pulling out laptops and books. Darcy shook her head half way through the class when she glanced over at Kat who was tapping away at her keyboard; she still couldn't figure out how in the world Kat could type as fast or as accurately as she did when she barely even glanced at her screen. Not that she'd complain since Kat usually had the most complete and comprehensive notes in their classes which meant that it made studying with her friend a hell of a lot easier. An hour later, the two found themselves following the flow of students down the hall to their next class and, as usual, Darcy wondered how Kat could seem to be so completely at home in a school. Sure she enjoyed her classes and everything like that, but she'd never known anyone to be so relaxed in the crowded halls. She'd teasingly asked Kat one day shortly after she had been transferred to NYU (she suspected that SHIELD had pulled some serious strings for that one) if Kat secretly lived in the university halls.

Kat had laughed and shrugged, "Nope, but I did attend a boarding school for high school so I guess it just feels familiar."

Darcy had never managed to get any more information than that from Kat and she now made a mental note to try to convince Tony Stark to look into it for her. The curiosity was going to drive her completely up the wall. Their next few classes drug on until they had a few hours of freedom for lunch. Rather than heading for the cafeteria like most of the others students, Kat and Darcy headed back out into the city. Over coffee and pizza the two discussed their upcoming papers and what topics they were going to cover in between rating the various guys that stepped into the place on a hotness scale they had developed shortly after meeting.

"Hey, check out the hotness that just walked through the door," Kat muttered, leaning forward slightly, her eyes glued to the door behind Darcy.

Casually Darcy glanced over her shoulder and nearly choked on her bite of pizza. She didn't have much to do with the Avengers or really even SHIELD but she did know many of the various people involved. It was hard not to when she was still working with Jane Foster who consequently was working for SHIELD and was currently involved with a member of the Avengers. So, yeah, she'd met most of them, including the man who had just walked through the door and was looking more than a little lost in the hustling crowds. For a few moments, Darcy had completely tuned out her friend until Kat reached across the table and lightly tapped her shoulder, startling the girl who turned back to her amused friend instantly.

"Sorry, what was that?" Darcy stammered.

"Well, I think, based on your reaction anyway, we just found someone who broke the scale," Kat grinned, green eyes sparkling. "Hmm, maybe you should go talk to him…"

Darcy was shaking her head, "No, no, that's fine. I'm fine."

Kat quirked a brow and shook her head, "Darce, come on. I was only bugging you…besides I saw him first."

Darcy rolled her eyes at the smirk that Kat gave her, "Oh, he's all yours if you want him."

"Wait…you know him?" Kat asked, though the smirk remained in place. "Awesome that gives me an in."

"Well, I've met him. I wouldn't say that we're exactly drinking buddies or really even talking buddies, but I do kind of know him."

"Does this have anything to do with the New Mexico thing?" Kat asked her voice dropping so low that Darcy could barely hear her even as her friend leaned further over the table.

Darcy shook her head, "Not directly, no."

Kat was the only person who knew that she had been involved with the whole Thor ordeal and had never pestered her for more information. For that she would always be eternally grateful to the girl across the table from her since she was the only person that Darcy was also pretty sure was friends with her for reasons that did not revolve around the very, very slim chance that they'd have a chance to find out about the Avengers and everything. Which was why she had held her own curiosity about her friend in check; there were a lot of things about Kat that just didn't quite add up with Darcy, but she figured that if her friend wanted to talk to her about it, she would do so at in her own time and if she didn't? Well she supposed curiosity wasn't going to get her killed too quickly anyway.

"You know for someone who looks like him," Kat was saying when Darcy once again rejoined the conversation and got out of her own head, "he seems really…lost and alone. Look, I know you said you don't really know him, but maybe we should see if he wants to join us. We have another hour and a half before we have to head back for our last class after all and I know I sure as hell hate to eat alone."

Darcy smiled and nodded and before she could even think about waving over the blonde haired, blue eyed man that was just ordering and starting to look around for a place to sit, Kat was on her feet and walking over to him. Sighing Darcy couldn't help but grin at her friend wondering if there was anything she wouldn't do.

"Hey, um…crap probably should have asked Darcy what your name is," Kat scratched the back of her neck as she stepped up to the tall, muscled man and tilted her head to the side. "Anyway, I'm Kat a friend of Darcy Lewis'. We saw you come in and she said she kind of knows you so we figured I'd see if you wanted to join us rather than eating alone. Assuming you were planning on eating alone. Okay, I really should have thought about these things before coming over here and now I'm rambling so I'm just going to shut up and if you want me to leave you alone, just say the word."

"It's quite alright, Ma'am," the man replied with an easy smile even as he took his ordered drink. "I'm Steve Rogers and I really appreciate the offer. I don't really like to eat alone so if it really isn't too much bother…"

"No bother at all, Steve as long as you can drop the whole 'Ma'am' thing. Call me Kat like everyone else does."

Steve smiled again and followed Kat back to where Darcy was still sitting having watched the exchange from a distance, though she could pretty much guess how the conversation had gone. Steve wasn't entirely sure what to make of Kat at that moment. While outwardly she appeared open and relaxed he could see the slight almost invisible signs that she wasn't nearly as open as she tried to appear. Normally he could pick it up in the way someone stood or the tension in their body that betrayed the fact that they were tense and trying not to alarm anyone by it but with Kat it was different. Physically she only showed the normal tension anyone who wasn't too fond of crowds but when he had met her eye that was when he had really taken notice that she wasn't as open as she appeared to be. Her gaze was guarded though he doubted she was a threat to anyone, he could still be wrong. Still, she was friends with Darcy and while he didn't know her very well, according to Jane and several other SHIELD agents, Darcy was more observant than anyone gave her credit for and had a good feel on people. So he dropped down into a chair by Kat and smiled over to Darcy.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Lewis."

"It's only good for about another hour when we have to go back to that freaking class. If it wasn't a required class, I would be burning my text book right now," Darcy replied good-naturedly and Steve chuckled.

"You know, oddly enough I don't mind it although it would be nice if it was broken down into a couple of smaller classes rather than only having it twice a week and having to sit through monotone man for three hours. I should fix my computer so it'll take dictation and then I could sleep and not miss a bloody thing."

Steve shook his head, "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"Oh no, not at all…it's actually worse," Darcy scowled and both Steve and Kat laughed at her. "And if it's not bad enough having to sit through that on a Monday afternoon, Jane needs me at the lab right after class too."

"Aw man, so no Monday drinking fest?" Kat complained and Steve gave her a hard look which only brought about a shrug from Kat.

"Relax, Rogers. Our Monday drinking fest consists of slushies and trying to get papers written up or at the very least the research started for them. Sorry, Kat looks like that's postponed until our regular Wednesday Coffee Break."

"Damn, alright looks like I have to come up with a Plan B. Hey, Steve, what are you up to this evening?" Kat turned to the man beside her.

"Oh no, not a chance in hell, Kat," Darcy glared and Kat cast a confused look at her friend. "I'll explain it to you later, alright?"

Kat shrugged and glanced back over at Steve, "Rein check?"

Steve nodded, though he was confused as to why Darcy had rejected the idea of him spending time with someone outside of SHIELD, "Sure thing."

The three spent the remainder of the girls' lunch talking lightly about random things that had happened lately and how quickly the city had seemed to recover after the alien attack. Steve had volunteered only a little to that particular conversation, something that did not go unnoticed by Kat though she didn't say anything about it. In fact since she had learned his name, she was trying to figure out why it sounded so bloody familiar to her but just couldn't quite put her finger on where she had heard it before. When the girls had to head back for their last class, Steve also left; heading off on his motorcycle and Kat turned a questioning look to Darcy.

"Alright, so why am I not allowed to corrupt Mr. Perfect with slushies?"

Darcy sighed, "Mr. Perfect?"

"Well, as perfect as I'll ever find that will talk to me anyway. Come on, Darce, what gives?"

"You don't know who that was?" she sounded incredulous.

Kat shrugged, "I know I've heard the name…"

"That was Captain Steve Rogers…" Kat gave her a blank look. "Captain America?"

"Really? Wow…I mean I figured he'd be ripped and hot as hell, but…wow. Damn I should have got an autograph."

Darcy shook her head, not sure if her friend was kidding or serious, "Kat, you can't tell anyone I know him."

Kat held up her hands in surrender, "Hey, no worries. No one will hear it from me and it's not like I'm one to fan girl about well anyone. He seems more well-adjusted than I thought he would be."

Darcy shrugged, "Jane figures it's more of a front and he's not nearly as adjusted as everyone thinks. Not that I can blame him, I can't even imagine what it would be like for him."

Kat shook her head, "Me either; hey we should invite him out to our monthly classic movie night next week and go for the really classic films…Casa Blanca maybe?"

Darcy found herself agreeing though she was slightly confused by Kat's interest, "Not that I'm arguing; he needs to get out, but why do you have the sudden interest? Just because he's 'ripped and hot as hell'?"

Kat sighed as her words were thrown back at her and shook her head, "Nope, although that doesn't hurt. He just seemed…I don't know…lonely and just bone weary sad I guess. You know me, I'm always reading into people and I'm not often wrong. I guess I just feel bad for the guy; he doesn't strike me as someone who gets invited out a whole lot."

"Alright, I'll try to catch up to him and invite him to come next week. We're still good to go at your place though right? He's from Brooklyn so I think he might be comfortable there."

Kat nodded as they headed into their last class, "Yeah, my place is fine and I'm sure I saw the re-mastered version of Casa Blanca at home so I'll grab it when I head back this weekend."

"Alright, I'll bring Steve and the pizza; you bring the movie and the drinks."

"Heh, maybe I'll even theme everything to the forties."

Darcy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because that's gonna help him readjust faster," she muttered just loud enough for Kat to hear which sent her friend into a giggling fit that Darcy ended up joining in until the class started and they fell silent, trying to stay awake as their monotone teacher drone on.

A/N: Alright and there it is!

I'm not sure I really like this for the opening and introduction of Kat to the story, but it's the best I've been able to come up with in nearly ten days so I'm going to go with it for now.

Let me know what you thought and hopefully I should have another chapter up by Wednesday!