A Man Out Of Time (December 1989)

“No, I’m not but I will be,” he said as he took Isabella up into his arms. He kissed her, quite thoroughly and heard her regretful sigh when he let her back down. “You know where I’ll be and I love you Isabella,” he said softly. After she watched him go she would know that something was troubling Tony but he would not speak of it there.

The next morning she had been resting her eyes in a large chair next to Steve’s bed. She hadn’t heard him shift and pull out the IV that had been in his arm. He lifted up his hands and looked at them. His flesh was still quite red from the freezing but the Super Soldier Serum had saved his life and protected him. He was extremely thirsty and looked around for something to drink. He looked around the room and noticed Isabella sitting there. The room looked like something out of a science fiction comic book. The monitors near him and the odd thing on his finger. They didn’t alarm him, not really and he tried to remember what he had been doing…

‘The plane was going down but a sense of resignation came over him. He had stopped the Red Skull and had saved alot of lives. There was no greater purpose than that. Frantically he looked around for the locket and he saw it on the small bedside table next to him and picked it up. Peggy was probably somewhere nearby and how he had survived the crash he could never have guessed. He opened the locket and looked at the photo. It was damaged from the water and faded but he could still see her face. A wave of love washed through him when he looked at it but also a sense of loss though he did not know where it had come from.

“Hey…” He said to the woman who was in a chair near him. She was pretty with long, dark hair, olive skin and nice lips. He had never seen clothes like that on a woman and wondered who she was. He looked under his covers and saw he only had on a hospital gown.

“Hey, Miss, do you know where my clothes are?” he asked.

Isabella wanted to go after Tony and talk to him, but she decided to just let him go. She had made a promise to stay here with Steve and she would see that promise through. Tony needed to get some rest and she told herself that she would talk to him later. She sat down in the chair next to Steve and just watched him for a while. If he survived this he would need a place to live. Perhaps until the Tower was constructed she and Tony could let him stay in her old apartment.

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she was awoken by the sound of a voice she didn't recognize. She shifted and opened her eyes and saw that Steve was awake. Not only was he awake, but he had removed his IV and was sitting up. She needed to be gentle with him. The news he was going to receive was going to be quite the shock.

"Oh, I think they were damaged. I can see about getting you some new clothes Captain Rogers. My name is Isabella. It's wonderful to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

Steve smiled at...Isabella, she seemed like a nice woman but the oddness of his surroundings also made him somewhat suspicious. He could have been captured. He wouldn’t put it past the Germans or The Red Skull’s minions to try and pull something to get the Super Soldier Serum from him. “Is Peggy Carter here, could I see her please?” he asked abruptly as his suspicions began to grow. He knew better than to trust strangers and it would be like an enemy to put a beautiful woman to watch him and try to keep him content. He looked around for anything he could use as a weapon and only the metal pole that held the odd...beeping thing looked like anything he could use besides just his hands and feet which were formidable themselves. This was like no hospital he had ever seen and there were no windows. “And where did you say I was?” he asked kindly but he glanced again at the pole and judged his movements to get to it if he had to.

Isabella could see Steve becoming agitated and suspicious. She was going to have to just tell him and deal with the consequences. She prepared herself to fight him if he attacked her...which she hoped he wouldn't.

"Captain Rogers, please remain calm. What I am about to tell you is going to come as quite a shock, but you need to know the truth. The year you went into the ice in that plane was 1945...the year is 1989 now. You were in the ice for 44 years. My name is Isabella Stark. I am married to Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark. Tony and I found you in the ice and brought you here. You are in New York...specifically in the headquarters of an organization called SHIELD."

“Oh...hmm,” Steve said as what she said filtered through his mind. He knew the name Howard Stark, but everyone knew that. 44 years later? Hah! And he looked around the room again. If he were in a hospital, Peggy would be here, he knew that for certain sure. He ripped off the other wires that led to his wrist and finger and he decided not to attack her if she didn’t attack him. He stood, his long, muscled legs strained to hold him up. He flexed them then looked around. “You’re going to help me get out of here, if Isabella is your real name,” he said. He was more than a little unstable on his feet but he wasn’t going to show her that. He put one hand on the bed and moved to the end of it all the while keeping his eye on her.

Isabella could see that she was going to need to actually prove to Steve that she wasn't lying. She put her hands up to show that she wasn't armed. "I'm not armed and I promise that Isabella is really my name. I can prove that what I'm telling you is real." There was a tv in the room and she reached for the remote. "This isn't a weapon Captain Rogers. I'm going to use it to turn on that monitor." She slowly lifted up the remote, all while keeping an eye on Steve. She then hit the power button and the tv came on. It came on to a news channel. The first thing Steve would see is that it was in color...bright, vivid color. There was also a female news anchor. Her hair was permed and definitely not wearing 1940's style clothing. The news story was talking about the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Isabella watched Steve's face as he looked at the screen.

"The war is over Steve. The Allies won."

Steve watched warily but what he saw troubled him. To think somehow he was alive after 44 years and still young had not been explained very well and she said nothing about Peggy. He had never seen a tv like that nor a woman on tv.

“Alright, say I believe you then I can leave right? Well, I want to leave...now,” he said demandingly as his legs finally got under him. He pointed at her. “You will escort me out,” he said as he moved toward the door.

Isabella slowly nodded. "Ok...we can go." She started out by walking in front of him, but then started to walk beside him through the hallways. This wasn't quite going the way she had hoped. She saw Phil and he seemed startled that Steve was up and walking around. "Uh, we're just going to get some fresh air." Phil nodded and seemed to sense that Steve was agitated. He decided to follow them, but at a distance.

Finally, they reached the door that took them out above ground. Isabella stepped out first and then glanced at Steve as he stepped out as well. From where they were standing he would be able to see the New York City skyline...and it wasn't the skyline he was familiar with. There was also an old, discarded newspaper on the ground from the day before. The date read December 9, 1989.

Steve picked up the newspaper and began to read through it. He did not want to look at the city, it disturbed him to see all of the new buildings and lights. Not the city he had known...not at all but he had recognized the Empire State Building. He read the sports section and looked at those dates and he didn’t recognize anyone on the Yankees. He read other sections and his brow quickly turned down. “So then how am I here? Where is Peggy Carter?” he asked but even as the words left his mouth he knew she had to be, what, in her 60s?” He gripped the locket and rubbed at the top of it as he moved and sat down on a green and black bench that stood just outside the building.

Isabella slowly sat down next to Steve on the bench. Her heart broke for him. The entire world he had known was gone. She began to wonder if bringing him out of the ice had actually been what was best for him. She would have to live with that guilt for the rest of her life.

"Well, while in the ice your body systems slowed down. You didn't die, but you were put into a state of suspended animation. The Super Soldier Serum in your body likely kept you alive as well."

She was quiet for a moment before deciding to just tell him about Peggy. "Peggy Carter...well...she died in 1945...just before the end of the war."

A cold sweat suddenly covered Steve’s forehead and his hands trembled as his mind, no, as his heart tried to reconcile the loss. It had come as a blow. As if a bazooka had just blown out his stomach from point blank range. ‘Oh god, Peggy!’ He thought. Her more than the rest of the world.

“Could I...be alone for a while, Isabella?” Steve asked not looking at her. But then he did look at her, his eyes filled with unshed tears. “Please?” He asked softly. After she left he only just sat there. The wind was cool on his flesh and eventually the nausea subsided. It did not good to blame himself. He knew he was only one man and he could not see into every end. He had done everything he could to save as many people as he could. Peggy would have mourned him he knew but she would not have him avoid this end if it meant saving all of the lives he had saved. He lifted up the locket and kissed it gently before he stood. He took one last look at the skyline and came back into the building.

He saw Isabella there with a large duffel bag at her feet. Phil had gotten Steve clothes and let her delay what they had planned which was to bring Steve into the fold as Captain America once again. “Are those clothes?” Steve asked. When she said yet he simply picked up the bag and stepped back into his room. Several minutes later he came out weapon blue jeans, a white t-shirt under a dark brown bomber style leather jacket and white tennis shoes. His hair still looked damp from a shower but he looked at her and acted like he needed to drop something into her palm.

When she extended her hand he dropped a small, black disk into her palm and she knew what it was. A SHIELD bug tracker. “I might be from 44 years ago, but I’m not stupid,” he said though he didn’t seem angry about it. Likely they had put it into his clothes somewhere. His mouth had a near grin to it that seemed to be his typical expression. Washed and clean like he was he was extremely handsome that bordered on beautiful if a man could be said to be. “Since you were put here to ‘watch over’ me, I will go anywhere you say but not here,” he said as he looked down at her. His blue eyes were intent upon her as he waited to see what she would say.

Isabella was quite stunned when Steve emerged fully dressed. He had a way about him that drew a person's attention and he was extremely handsome. She also felt like she could fully trust him and she liked knowing that. She could see Phil practically drooling and he was motioning to Isabella behind Steve that he wanted to be introduced. Isabella smiled at Steve. "I can take you back to my house. Tony and I have plenty of room there. But first, I would like to introduce you to Phil Coulson," she said indicating to the man behind her. As Steve turned to look at him she continued on with the introduction.

"Phil is a fan of yours. He actually has a collection of mint Captain America trading cards. I'm sure one day you might be able to sign them for him."

After Phil and Steve shook hands, Isabella lead Steve out of the building to where Happy was waiting with a car. She introduced Steve and Happy as well. As they headed into the city towards the house where she and Tony lived she looked at Steve.

"So, I'm sure you have lots of questions and we can sit down to talk about everything, but is there anything you would like to know right now?"

Steve sighed as he watched the city fly by in the limousine. “God I have too many questions. Whose the President, were there any more wars and who won them? So many…” He said as he just laid back in the car. He still had Peggy’s locket and chain wrapped around his wrist. “So...who’s your husband, Tony Stark? Howard’s son?” he asked. “God I didn’t even know he had a family,” he said but then he winced not really wanting to go down that route. He had no family, no friends, no one. No one at all.

Isabella had seen the Video. Steve Rogers, Captain America could do some amazing things without a suit. He was fast and strong, a born leader. There were some shots of Peggy on the video as well. She was beautiful with long, dark hair and pale skin. Buxom but not overly so.

Isabella did her best to answer Steve's questions. "Well, the current president is George H. W. Bush. He's a Republican from Texas. Yes, there have been more wars since World War II. We can talk more about those later. Howard Stark married Maria and Tony was born in 1953. We found your shield down in the ice as well. I had Tony take that with him. We'll make sure that gets back to you."

She saw the locket and knew it must contain a picture of Peggy, but she didn't question Steve about it. She knew that wound was still much too fresh.

They soon reached the house where she and Tony were currently living. She figured Tony would probably be down in the lab. When they walked in she spoke to Jarvis.

"Jarvis, please ask Tony to come to the kitchen."

Steve seemed rather surprised when a voice seemed to come out of nowhere to respond to her. Isabella saw his look and looked at him as she went to get him something to drink. "Jarvis is an artificial intelligence that Tony created. It was strange for me to get used to at first, but now I strangely think of Jarvis as apart of the family."

She gave Steve a glass of ice water with lemon just as Tony walked in. "Tony, I'd like for you to meet Captain Steve Rogers. Steve, this is my husband Tony Stark."

Tony shook Steve’s hand. “So, you seem no worse for wear,” he said and got a good look at him. “You wanna drink? Something a bit stronger?” He asked. He knew what Steve had just been through. “Uh, no thanks...I’m not much of a drinker...unless you have a beer?” He said and Tony pointed at him then stepped away to the fridge, got a beer, opened it and came back. Steve set the water on the counter and took up the beer and took a sip. He had an odd expression and looked at the bottle a moment. “Uh...too cold?” Tony asked and saw Isabella’s glare that only lasted a moment.

“So The Super Soldier Serum...walking proof of my father’s greatest achievement,” Tony said rudely and his words were slurred slightly and he smelled strongly of alcohol. The serum had caused more trouble and more deaths than any weapon Howard had ever made. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the formula and had killed to obtain it. Steve pursed his lips and just looked down at his beer bottle.

Isabella could immediately tell that something was off with Tony and she wasn't entirely happy when Tony gave Steve a beer, although she doubted it would be easy for Steve to actually become drunk easily because of the Super Soldier Serum. Tony, on the other hand, was drunk. She could tell that. This was not the first impression she had been hoping for. Tony was clearly upset about something and she was determined to figure out what it was.

"I'm sorry Steve. Will you excuse us for just a moment? Please help yourself to anything in the refrigerator."

She walked with Tony back to their bedroom and she closed the door behind her. "What the hell is the matter with you Tony? Why are you drunk? Are you upset with me still?"

Tony still had his drink in his hand and he gestured with it. “Do you have any idea whats going to happen when people find out that the super soldier serum is on the radar again?” He said. “Any...clue?” He said and turned his back on her. “My ‘father’ created something that caused more deaths, more strife than ANY weapon he had ever created,” he said then turned and faced her. Now I’m willing to bet SHIELD took samples of his blood and right now they likely got it in some lab trying to figure out the formula again,” he said “And then the word will get out that Cap’s alive and its going to happen all over again!” He said. This one invention had been the greatest embarrassment to Howard's legacy than anything else could be. Tony took another long sip.

Isabella sighed and pulled the glass out of Tony's hand and put it down out of his reach. She then looked at him. "I understand that you have unresolved issues with your father Tony, but you need to pull yourself together. We will handle this as we do everything else...together. The man was alive down in the ice. We couldn't just leave him there." When he opened his mouth to object to what she had just said she interrupted him. "NO...we couldn't leave him there. Everything will be fine Tony."

She had heard Tony talk about the way his father used to talk about Steve. She had seen the hurt in his eyes...as if his father hadn't talked about him in the same way. She walked over to him and put her arms around him and looked into his eyes. "Even if he never said Tony, your father was proud of you and loved you."

Tony leaned in and kissed her and looked into her eyes. He wanted to tell her that Steve single handedly bring about another formula race but he didnt want to upset her. She felt as if she had done something good but Tony wasn’t certain of that. People were going to die in the fight to get that formula and to keep it contained. Tony didn’t trust SHIELD and now he was doubly concerned they had the formula. “Go entertain our guest...I’m going back to my lab,” Tony said. “Though I’d much rather you take me to bed,” He said as he kissed her again and began to get handsy with her.

Steve moved around the room. There were paintings and sculptures and even the appliances in the kitchen looked so much different. He had never seen a digital clock or a projection tv. He hit a button on the remote and he smiled when the tv turned on.

Isabella smiled and laughed a little as she swatted Tony's hands away. She took a sip from his drink and was pleased to find it was Bourbon. She then walked back out to the living room where she found Steve. He had turned on the tv, but turned it off when she approached and quickly stood up. He was quite the gentleman and she smiled and sat down on the couch and he sat back down.

"Tony has some work he needs to finish up. He'll be able to talk more with you later. Tony and I have plenty of room here so you are more than welcome to stay with us. We can get you some more clothes and everything else you will need."

Normally Steve would refuse her but as it stood he didn’t have a place to stay and he didn’t know anyone. He had no job, he only had the clothes on his back. He looked at Isabella and tried not to think of her as being beautiful. She was and she was kind and considerate.

“I never thanked you for saving my life Isabella. I owe you one,” he said as he gestured to her with his beer and looked at her. When he sat he made certain there was space between them and he was glad that he had. He was feeling vulnerable and uncertain about what tomorrow would bring. “I appreciate your hospitality...I really don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m pretty certain my education...high school, isn’t very...uh...relevant these days,” He said.

Isabella looked at Steve when he thanked her for saving his life and she gave him a soft smile. "You don't owe me anything Steve, but I do hope that we can get to know each other better and become friends. We'll figure something out. However, until then I think Tony is right in that we should keep quiet about your identity. I'm sure we can find ways of keeping you busy though. You have a lot of history and culture to catch up on so we can work on that first and if you need anything please let me know."