"catching stars" - 1x1.

[lavender moon]

A soft smile graced her lips. “Sounds like a good hide out.” She said, her eyes studying him. This was the first time she’d gotten to just stop and fully take him in as a human being. The more she looked at him; the more she wondered what his past held... She noticed his smile fade and became worried for a moment, wondering what was going through his head. Before she had a chance to ask him, he asked her a question. Her name. Her name? She sighed and looked down at her hands for a moment. Luka noticed her change on mood and whimpered. He nudged his head under her arm to see what was wrong. She gently stroked his head before responding to rodgers, still not daring to look up at him. “I don’t know where I’m from. All I know is that my mother sold me off to a camp when my father left her. I was around two years old at the time.” She paused, a lump was forming in her throat, her eyes watering. She hardened herself again, forcing the lump down and building that wall in her eyes again. “I was raised in captivity. The camp was all white. Everything was clean. Everything flowed white but it was dark in a way. You always felt alone. I mean, there were millions of other children but none of us became close. Everyone was terrified of becoming attached. You earned your rank there by the amount of people you killed or beat in fights. The experiments started when you were five. You would be strapped to a bed and then...” she paused, her voice trailed off. She couldn’t talk about that. “I killed a lot of innocent kids. They died, but I paid for it. I have plenty of scars to show that. Inside and out.” She sighed and Luka whimpered again. “I don’t remember a lot of it. I think they wiped our memories. It wouldn’t surprise me. It’s easier to get people to obey you when all they know is obedience. Well the only things I can remember clearly are the things I see in flashbacks.” She told him before remembering his first question. “My name is technically 30126.” She told him, wincing as she said the name, hearing the yelling voice of one of the overseers before she was taken to be beaten or something along those lines. “I escaped with Luka and a girl I knew from the camp. She died when we escaped but she gave me a ‘normal’ name.” She said before looking to Rodgers. “It’s Charity Bridger. I prefer to go by Dane though. It’s my middle name.” She told him, finally finishing her story and going silent for a few moments. “What about you? What’s your story, Rodgers?”

[ethium]

he felt his breath catch in his throat as he listened to her open up about her past. and instantly
he drew parallels from her to barnes. he felt himself swallow what felt like a lump of coal. "the name fits you,
seems to fit your personality anyway. thank you. for sharing a little bit of your past." he then sighed as she asked
about him. His past was never easy to share, especially when it came to people comprehending his past. "well. I
was born on july 4, 1918. I was a young, sickly and scrawny kid. I met my best friend james barnes at a young age,
we became fast friends. He wasn't just a shield as some would think he was my best friend. He did help with the
bullies though.-" at this he chuckled. "- I was determined to enlist in the army, during world war II. Little did I know
i would end up in the super soldier program, they saw something in me. More specifically I just wanted to prove
myself. I was chosen to become the first super soldier, was given the serum and was a- more-or-less show pony for
a bit. I believe the term i used back then was a soldier in tights.-" he grinned glancing over at charity curiously was
she still following? "- until bucky was captured, then i went after him and finally proved myself to the world as
capable of being in the war effort. I made movies, shows, but most importantly i fought. I fought for my country.
and in the end i was ready to die for my country. Bucky fell of the train, thought he died, turns out he didn't but
that's a story for another time. I flew a plane filled with bombs heading to new york. I was trapped, and frozen
there until they finally found me. plenty of stuff has happened between now and then but here I am. The name
they gave me during my show time years was captain america. It kinda grew on me." he finally concluded, tears
in his eyes as painful memories ranging from his mother's death to remembering the feeling of freezing in the ice.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and forced himself to look ahead, he didn't want to know how she felt about
him now. Knowing that your traveling with a world war II veteran whose technically hundreds of years old was
probably a concept not well swallowed. "sorry. not the best foot to start off on i guess." he chuckled wanting to
relieve a bit of the tension, and the tears that threatened to spill over. "just a hard topic to talk about i guess, but
you deserved it after talking about yourself." He could now see the farm house faintly in the distance, the city left
far behind him. It wasn't until he looked down at his speed did he realize how fast he was actually going. He exhaled
and slowed down, there was no rush now. He was probably giving the poor girl a heart attack.

[516 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ

[lavender moon]

Dawn was too distracted by his story to be worried about the sped of the car. She smiled sadly as he told his story. She could tell that he had seen too much and been through a lot. If him talking about that didn’t show it, his eyes did. Once he finished she couldn’t speak. How could she respond? What was the proper response to that? This was a heavy, heavy topic for her first real conversation with a person but, it was alright with her. She sighed softly. Her right hand hand wanted now. She reached over and placed it gently on his leg, her body turned to face him. “You know, you don’t look that bad for a century old.” She told him. Luka wedged his way between them and licked Steve’s face, trying to rid him of the tears. “I’m sorry about your friend. It sounds like you two were really tight.” She told him, truly sorry for him as she remembered what it felt like to lose Rose and what it would feel like to lose Luka. “I wish I had something more comforting to say. But, I promise, as soon as we can start searching for James, we will.” She promised him. This was the first promise she had ever made and she intended to keep it, even if it meant risking her life. She would help him find this guy. She looked forward and saw the house growing. It was decently sized. Probably two bedroom, maybe three. It was cute and old. She liked it a lot. It reminded her of those pictures she had seen of... what were they called...? Barns! It reminded her of a barn. She kept her hand on his leg, wanting to make sure he knew she was there and also wanting to be sure that this wasn’t a dream. That she wouldn’t wake up The the stained ceiling of her apartment or, worse, back in a cell at camp or with a SHEILD. Then she remembered. “Why did SHEILD send you after me?” She asked, praying he trusted her enough to be honest. If there was one question she wanted answered, this was it. Why had they decided that she was worth chasing? I mean obviously they had some interest in her. They sent helicopters after her! Now, Charity didn’t know much about normality, but she was pretty sure that being chased by helicopters wasn’t normal.

[ethium]

rogers smiled at their attempts to comfort him. however awkward it made him feel to suddenly be comforted
by the girl who had threatened to gauge his eyes out if he so much as touched the dog now lapping at his face. But then again
it made him feel comforted and assisted with his mood ever so slightly. "thanks- for your kind words. you too luka." he grinned
then pondered her question. "I'd assume it has something to do with your past, maybe they think your still involved with
something you were unwillingly apart of?" he sighed. "i wasn't told much about you, there also wasn't much on your file. it looks
like they were still deciding if you were hostile. I guess going with your plan on only coming into SHIELD with me kinda made
them decide which side you were on." he bit his lip, he wished he had all the answers to her questions. He hated leaving her
uncertain of why they wanted her. but there wasn't much time to ask questions as they pulled up and the big red for sale sign
caught his attention. and his heart seemed to drop into his stomach. He immediately hopped out of the car and ran to the farm
house, desperate for a sign of the old woman. He left the girl behind in the truck, not bothering to speak to her his worry
carrying him further and further until he stepped inside the home. An agent was on the phone inside, his eyes widened when he
saw rogers. yeah, i'll have to call you back. yep. bye. the agent hung up and looked at rogers like he was a god. "where's the
old woman who lived here?" rogers asked desperately his eyes pleading. the agent averted his gaze, he looked almost sorry
for rogers. It must have been evident that he was hoping for the best. she passed on a month ago, it's hard to get this place
to sell. it being all the way out here and all. Her family's all gone so her belongings are going to be given up if the future owner
of this house doesn't want them. "i'll take them." what? "i'll take them. her belongings, the house. it all." really? that'll be rather
expensive are you sure-"yes. i'm certain. here-" rogers pulled out his pocket book. "take however much you need. but if i
find out you've ripped me off or overpriced me, just to take advantage of me believe me i won't be pleased." he warned having
experience with salesmen who were all too dishonest when it came to purchasing things. The man then handed his pocket book
out having got the payment he wanted. I'll vacate the premises then, the property and land around it is yours. congratulations.
rogers swallowed, it can't have been this easy can it? "your sure? there's no clauses or anything?" nope, just sign the papers on
the counter i'll come and collect them tomorrow. since this place is so remote there's not much i need to do. no one wants this
place except you apparently. Rogers swallowed and nodded exiting the house and taking a breath. Well, i own a home now. I
guess this is where i can live out my days, i'll need to get a job somewhere though, in order to get food. Didn't she say there was
a small town north of here? where she got her regular shopping done? He'd need to investigate tomorrow. For now he headed
back to the truck, which was now his truck. The windows would need fixing and he'd need to break off the license plate so
no one could track em. That'd make heading into town hard, but if he could get some animals he could just ride a horse or
something into town. It wasn't that far-fetched was it? to just own a farm in the middle of nowhere and enjoy it?

[700 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ

[lavender moon]

She was about to question him further on the topic. Like, how did they know about her? And the the hell was the woman he was working under? As I said, she didn’t get to ask these questions as they had now pulled up to the house. A red sign with large white letters that read “for sale” was out front. It had a phone number below it, presumably the agents number. She was about to question Rodgers on this too but he leapt from the car before she could. She decided to stay in the car. She felt her powers began to start up again. She huffed. Not asgain. Her powers had been acting up ever since Rodgers had gone to collect her from her run down apartment. She watched him disappear inside the house and decided the best thing to do was to wait for him to return. He seemed to be on some sort of mission now and she didn’t want to go in to a fight or something else. That’s when she heard the door open and shut. A man, most likely the agent, walked out of the building and pulled the sign from the ground. This confused Dawn even more. What had just happened? And what was going on? The man tossed the sign into the back of his car before getting in it and driving off down the road. His fires pulling up the loose dirt and creating a cloud of dust that the car disappeared behind. She huffed again and leaned back. The door opened once again but this time Rodgers’ was the one to appear from behind the door. She opened her car door and let him dog out. Luka ran to Steve and jumped up on him, putting his paws on Steve’s shoulders. He licked Rodgers’ face as if he’d been gone for years. And to think that that was the same dog who had tried to kill Steve once before. It didn’t surprised Charity that Luka was just as tall as Steve when he stood on his hind paws. That dog was absolutely huge. “So... what happened while you were in there? What’s with the agent? And how come we’re the only too people here?” She asked, the questions falling from her lips at the sped of the truck on the way to the house.

[ethium]

he couldn't help but laugh as luka coated his face in saliva. "hey there." he grinned gently pushing
him down as charity wandered over. "well-" he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "-I guess
i live here now? i kind of own the place.. now.." he sighed and closed his eyes. "the nice lady i told
you about? she passed away a couple months ago. nobody wants the place or her belongings since
all her relatives are dead so, i guess i kind of get her stuff and her home." he swallowed it was still
so hard for him to grasp, the sweet old lady who had made him milk and cookies, who had baked him
a pie and had showered him with affection he didn't deserve, had knitted him a couple sweaters even
if they were two sizes too small. The old lady who had taken care of her two coon dogs henry and prince.
at the thought of the two dogs rogers glanced around. where were all the animals anyway? he knew for
a fact that she owned two dogs, three goats Mary, Lilith and Thomas, a cow named Betsy Rocker or just
Betsy for short, a donkey named Joan and a palomino horse named Samuel. how he remembered their
individual names was just another reminder of how much he missed the old lady, despite not being family
to her he had come to enjoy her sweet company. He then wandered around back to find them all locked
up in individual pens, Samuel in the far left pen pacing anxiously he tossed his head as Rogers passed. gently
petting his nose. Joan was with samuel, as the pair were inseparable. As he wandered into the barn he
found Mary, Lilith and Thomas in a little pen in the corner, Betsy in a stall and the tack for Samuel piled in
the corner. The two dogs were locked in stalls as well, likely a product of the agent wanting to get them
out of the way. He quietly let them out with a smile as they hopped at his feet jumping up and trying to
lick his nose and hands. "hey boys. Sorry they locked you in there." he sighed once again. He'd really need
to get a job soon enough.

[383 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ

[lavender moon]

When he began to approach the horses dawn ducked behind Steve. She had never seen a horse this close before. She was happy when they moved along to see the goats and cow. “Wow. This woman knew how to take care of animals, huh?”She asked the rhetorical question with a soft smile. She hated that these animals had been locked up and she was glad to watch steve free them from their cells. Maybe it was she spent most of her life in a cell, but she didn’t want to see anyone and anything locked up. It hurt her too much. As the dogs ran out she smiled brightly and kneeled so she was on their level. Luka growled at the two at first, he would clearly end up being the alpha as he was bigger than both of them combined. “Luka.” Charity said in a warning tone. The dog immediately stopped growling. It was like if you’re father said your name and you knew if you went on for a moment longer you’d be in a ton of trouble. Dawn let the dogs greet her before they rushed off to Luka to mess around and what not. “There beautiful.” She told Rodgers with a smile. Her blue eyes were already beginning to close as they events of the day caught up to her. She yawned and literally almost past on the ground. She was able to keep herself upright though. “I think it’s time for us to head into the house.” She told Rodgers. Though she was exhausted there was no way she was going to fall asleep in the barn. She wanted to sleep in a real bed. Normally she’d be fine with the barn floor but the day had been much to long for her to be okay with the hard, cold floor. Luka noticed that Charity was about to flop over in exhaustion so he rushed over and let his human lean on him. He looked back at Steve and barked before walking towards the house. Once they got to the door Dawn opened it. They walked in to the living room and as soon as Charity hit the couch she was fast asleep.

[ethium]

rogers nodded in agreement and headed back towards the house. He watched as charity instantly hit the hay
and smiled at her innocence, she couldn't even bring herself to stay awake any longer. She had a long day and
rogers couldn't blame her. He let her sleep on the couch and instead seated himself at the table examining the
room around them. The quilt she had been working on hung on the wall, finished. His shield held residence on
one of the squares and he felt himself painfully smile. She had remembered him well enough to put him on her
memory quilt. There were wind chimes out front, bear shaped. Said it kept the bears away but brought the bees.
so that they would pollinate the flowers that were usually fresh and on her front porch. However the front porch
was vacant of any beautifully scented blossoms. He quietly put that on his list of things to do, purchase flowers for
the front porch. The couches were beautiful and comfy, as always and the small box tv in the corner was probably
older than rogers. It didn't look like it worked, it looked like it was just for show. however there was a box of vcr's
beside the shelf that held the tv. what the vcr's were well that was to be discovered at a later date. There was a
patterned rug that added a splash of color to the already vibrant place. It definitely wasn't modern looking but it
was homey and nice. To the left of the kitchen were the bedrooms, he couldn't even bring himself to go near the
master where she had set up her room. However the room she had set up for him was just down the hall, he
wondered if she had left his things alone or had placed them in the attic or barn storage areas. He sighed as the
two coon dogs entered through the doggy door and into the kitchen lapping at his heels. Clearly they had missed
him, he scratched prince behind the ears and returned the action with henry before standing up, throwing a blanket
out on the floor. He might as well doze off himself, they had a lot of work to do if they were to find a suitable
home for charity and luka. Luka dozed off at charity's feet, while steve made himself comfortable on the floor
prince setting himself up at steve's feet and henry beside him. He exhaled and closed his eyes, he could use as
much rest as he could get anyway.

[430 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ

[lavender moon]

It would be nice if Charity could’ve fallen asleep and it have needed at that. It would’ve been nice if the tired, worn out absent could just doze of the a sweet dream. No, she didn’t even need dreams. If she was able to fall asleep and not have a nightmare then she would be forever grateful. Unfortunately, if you an agent, especially and agent from Camp, it was rare to have a peaceful night. In Camo, you were lucky to get to sleep. Many times the agents were forced to spend days at a time awake with no sleep. It was another way of the Camp breaking the kids and showing them that they were powerless compared to them. If you managed to get sleep you would either be woken up by an overseer’s whip or by your own nightmares of the experiments and fights that happened on the daily there. Now that Charity has escaped Camo her life was pretty normal. However, it carried many things from her past life with her. Like her sleep habits. Luka had curled at her feet to protect her as his human drifted off. It was his job. Sadly, the dog couldn’t protect her from horrific nightmares. Not long after falling asleep Charity began falling through time, air, and space. She tried desperately to grab anything to stop her from falling but there was nothing to grab onto. Suddenly, she wasn’t falling anymore. No, now she was strapped down to a hospital bed where she was being experimented on. Charity screamed to herself. “It’s just a dream! It’s just a dream!” But the pin was too real. This couldn’t be a dream. She could feel the freezing air and see the blinding, white lights just above. It couldn’t be a dream. She struggled against the restraints, in real life she was fighting off blankets. “No....” she whimpered. “No.... no! No! No! No, please! No!” She whined. She gradually became louder and louder and then she was fighting with another kid. It was a boy, her age if not younger. They were fighting with staffs and the powers they’d gained from the endless amounts of expirments. He had a knife in his hands that he jabbed at her with. She escaped almost fully but her caught her above the hip. And then there was darkness again, the warmth of the blood flowing from her wound was the only thing she felt as she cried out for help. Suddenly she bolted awake in bed. She curled into a tight ball, head on her knees as tears streamed down her face. She kept on repeating, “no.... no.... no... please. Not again. I can’t go back.... no... not again.” She sobbed. Luka woke up from her screams but didn’t know what to do. He leapt from the couch and nudged Steve with his nose, hoping his owners friend would help her.

[ethium]

steve bolted upright at the touch of a wet nose against his cheek. "huh?" he grunted sleepily and lifted himself
into a sitting position. "what is it boy?" he whispered reaching out into the darkness with squinted ocean colored
eyes, his sight struggling to adjust to the darkness all around him. It was almost comforting, the minimal lighting
and empty surroundings. Rogers always slept better with minimal distractions, in the city he had so many some
nights he was afraid he wouldn't get any sleep at all. Not that loosing one night of sleep would effect the super
soldier very much. He exhaled and realized quite how cold it was in the cabin, must have forgotten to turn the
heater on before retiring for the night. He thought as he rubbed the goose bumps from his arms. His attention
then turned quickly to the girl, who sputtered and shook in her sleep. Tossing and turning the effect of a restless
dream. Barnes had experienced these the first few nights back after being trapped in the HYDRA facility. He had
been scared, scared to sleep for fear he'd awaken and be back in the place his nightmare's resided and birthed
from, he had never fully shared what had happened in that facility. but with the knowledge that barnes was alive
and had been under HYDRA's control for over seventy years, rogers could only imagine what kind of beginning
experiments the cruel men had him undergo. He glanced over at the German shepherd who whined and paced
anxiously, clearly hoping that rogers would know how to sooth the trembling girl. Rogers sighed and furrowed his
eyebrows cautiously kneeling, not wanting to startle her further or startle her awake. That would be worse for
everyone. He knelt next to the couch watching as she continued to toss, "charity." he whispered and repeated
eight times until he slowly reached out and gently shook her shoulder. repeating her name as gently as possible.
He hoped she'd wake, he wasn't going to be cruel and leave her in the dream provided she remain asleep, but if
he could at least remove her from the torturous sleep then perhaps she could receive a more restful night ahead.

[370 words]
──────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────

ＳＴＥＶＥ