To Bring Back a Legend (July 1998)

Steve's eyes fluttered open. His chest felt like someone had beat him with a hammer and his entire body ached so badly that moving brought him agony. It was hard to breathe and his throat felt like it was on fire. He knew his eyes were open but he could not focus his vision.

Isabella was preparing dinner for everyone. Tony sat at the table with his laptop. Logan was there as well with a beer in his hand though he only had taken a few sips of it. They had the Infirmary monitor going just incase Steve decided to join them in the world of the living. Sarah was there as well and she held Serena.

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"Hello? Where....am I?" Steve said. His voice was pained and it had been picked up my the monitor.

Isabella had made handmade pasta and was making her famous Alfredo sauce. She had to keep shooing Tony away from the sauce so he wouldn't eat it all before she could plate it. The noodles were almost cooked when she suddenly thought she heard something on the Infirmary monitor. She saw Tony and Logan look up as well suddenly and knew they had heard it too.

"Ok...we shouldn't all go down there. I don't want to overwhelm him. Who should it be?"

Ofcourse Isabella was selected to go...

Steve couldn't see but his ears appeared to work. He heard someone come into the dimly lit room. "Who are you? And where am I?" He asked.

Isabella slowly walked into the Infirmary. The Infirmary was dimly lit, but as she approached the bio bed she could see Steve was sitting up. "Captain Rogers, my name is Isabella Stark. You are in New York City recovering. The plane you were on crashed near the Arctic circle, but you survived."

Steve froze when he heard the woman's voice. He remembered that voice. He didn't know exactly why. "My eyes...I can't see...You know who I am? Isabella...Stark? I knew a Howard Stark. Do you know him? Are you...related to him?" Steve asked.

Isabella pulled a chair up to sit next to Steve. "Your sight will return. Just give it time. Yes, I know who you are. The entire world does. You're Captain America. You're quite famous. I know who Howard Stark is. I am related to him by marriage. I married his son...Tony Stark. Steve...the year is 1998. You were in the ice for 53 years," she told him gently.

Steve chuckled then winced. "Please, it hurts when I laugh. Did Bucky..." He began then remembered that his longtime friend was gone. "Isabella, really, how long was I out there? I remember fighting the red skull and then not much after that. Did we stop em?" he asked.

Isabella didn't laugh. She was genuinely concerned about how he was going to react when he realized the truth. She moved over to sit on the edge of the bed and she picked up one of his hands and gently squeezed it. "Steve, the year is 1998. The war is over. It ended 53 years ago in 1945 not long after you went into the ice. You stopped them. You're considered a hero."

Steve swallowed hard as her voice sounded genuine. "53 years? I don't feel...I can't be that old," Steve said. He truly wished his eyes worked right then. Isabella sounded kind. He wished he could see her. "Where am I now?" He asked.

Isabella's voice was soft and soothing. She didn't want to push or rush Steve. This was going to be a difficult transition for him and she wanted him to know that she was a friend and would be there for him. "Being in the ice stopped your aging. You look the same now as you did back in 1945. You're in Stark Tower. It's our home. Tony and I were the ones who found you. We retrieved your shield as well. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

Steve's head began to spin. He could see a little bit of light now but that only made it worse. He felt hot and cold at the same time. That and he wanted to be out of this...bed! However he knew there were tubes and wires and all sorts of things attached to him.

Everything he had been, everyone he knew, everyone...was gone. Bucky was dead. Was Peggy? He didn't know. "So...we won?" He asked.

Isabella could see from the look in Steve’s eyes that it was really hitting him now. She wanted to get him something to drink. She used her comm link to speak to Tony. “Tony, could you bring down some water and perhaps a little food?”

With that taken care of she addressed Steve’s question. “Yes, we did. Hitler committed suicide when the Allies invaded Germany. Unfortunately, Japan didn’t surrender so easily, but we...persuaded them. Do you have any other questions?”

Steve wondered if he was keeping this woman...Isabella, from something. "I don't want food, I'm not hungry," He said. "You know...I think...I think I need to be alone awhile," Steve said. Hopefully that would give her an opening to go do whatever it was that she needed to do. He had the feeling he wasn't in a base. This place had a more homey feel to it. He really wish his eyes would clear up.

There were bombs going off in his own head. He needed to mourn for the life and the people that were gone.

Isabella nodded and decided not to push Steve. He was likely going through a lot right now and she didn't want to overwhelm him. "Ok, but I'm going to leave this comm link with you," she said as she pressed it into his hand. "Just activate it by pressing here," she said as she moved his finger to show him where the button was, "and talk. You'll be connected to Tony, Logan, he also lives here, and myself. Otherwise, I'll be back to check on you in a little while."

She stood up and walked away to leave him by himself. Jarvis would also be monitoring him. She headed back upstairs where Tony and Logan were waiting. "He just needed to be alone for a little while. I think realizing that 53 years had passed was a lot for him to take. I should probably make up one of the guest rooms for him and get him some new clothes."

The two men had heard the conversation. The monitor had still been going. Logan grinned darkly at her. He liked Isabella's directness but even he thought that just coming out with everything like she did was kind of harsh. The man just gets unfrozen and she hits him with the whole world being 53 years older. Logan did not recall his mother but he knew Steve Rogers had a mother and a friend, James Barnes. Now he had no one.

Tony didn't say anything he just watched Isabella for a few moments before he went back to what he was doing on his laptop.

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Later that afternoon...

"Uh....hello? This...machine thing has stopped doing what it was doing...I think...Can someone...uh...unhook me from it please?" Steve asked.

Isabella sighed and went to go fix up Steve's room. She tried to make it feel as homey as she could. She then sent Happy to go get some clothes for Steve. She had just finished fixing Steve some tea when she heard him on the comm link. She quickly went down there to help him. She gave him a little smile as she unhooked everything. She turned off the monitor and looked at Steve.

"How are your eyes?"

Steve squinted as he looked up at Isabella. When she was near him he was able to smell her. She smelled...good. Though he could not describe the scent. It was a combination of things. He could see to a degree but bright lights hurt his eyes.

"Bright light hurts but I can make out my surroundings, though its all blurry. There is a buzzing in my hearing as well but its better than before. I guess everything just takes time. Being a human Popsicle for over 50 years will do that to you I guess," he said trying to make her smile. He knew she was married but Steve had rarely held the attention of a woman. Besides his mother he kissed 2 women though one had kissed him first. Peggy...oh he did not want to think about Peggy right then. That loss was still just to raw yet.

Steve rubbed at the area on his arm that all the IV's and solutions were running in and out of his body. It was sore. His entire body was sore. "I could...use some help to get up," he said. When she took his hand he gently squeezed hers and used the side of the bed to stand up. He suddenly felt dizzy and he sat back on the edge of the bed. "Whoa, got dizzy there for a second," He said.

Isabella remained at Steve’s side. She didn’t rush him and helped him stand up when he was ready. She held onto him and let him lean on her as he got his feet under him. She helped him upstairs and got him to his room.

“This is your room. There is a private bathroom and I had someone run out and get you some clothes. I guessed on the sizes so let me know if they don’t work.”

She let him get settled while she got him some food and some iced tea.

Steve tested out the bed, it appeared to be quite comfortable and he noticed the fixtures in the room. He hadn't ever been in a place this nice and he could tell that even with blurred vision. The bathroom was HUGE! And the desk...was it real Mahogany? He couldn't be certain. There was a kitchenette in the room and a sitting area with something large and flat on the fall. He had never seen anything like that but when he began pushing the buttons on the lower front of it, it came to life. It spooked him and he began to push the buttons again until it turned off.

He stood when Isabella came back with food and drink. "This...this is your home? You live here? It's very nice Isabella," He said sweetly. It was always a good practice to be kind and sweet to the woman that fed you. That and he liked Isabella's company. Even if she had initially been the bearer of bad news.

Isabella had prepared a sandwich for Steve. It was a club sandwich with homemade potato chips and a pickle on the side. She had also brought him some iced tea to drink. She set the tray down on the small table and smiled warmly at him. “Yes, Tony and I live here with our two month old daughter Serena, Logan, Sarah, Serena’s nanny, and Happy. Happy helps us with various things and is head of security. Once you’re done eating I can introduce you to Tony and Logan.”

Steve knew he didn't want to be alone but out of politeness he said nothing as she departed to let him eat. He still didn't feel hungry. But once he took a bite of the sandwich, he suddenly was hungry and devoured the food. He drank the tea is one, consistent gulp. He was thirsty as well and the coldness on his throat felt wonderful. He waited until she came back with more clothes. He had been in ill-fitting small clothes and a hospital gown since he woke up. Without thinking he took off the gown to try on the shirt.

Steve's body was tall, strong and lean with a tightly packed musculature. He wasn't Greek but he certain was an Adonis. He turned away from her to put on the jeans though he still needed her help for balance and to his surprise, they fit though the legs were fairly tight in the butt and thighs. The white t-shirt practically molded to his shape. He noticed there was a moment of silence and he held out his hands form his body.

"Does it look...ok?" he asked her.

Isabella decided to leave Steve alone to eat. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to be alone or not, but she didn’t want to force her company upon him. When she did come back she had some clothes with her. She handed them to Steve and was surprised when he suddenly took off the hospital gown in front of her. She knew his body was fit from pictures she had seen of him, but seeing his body in person without a shirt made her mouth go dry. Tony was fit, but there was something about Steve’s body that made her feel like a school girl. She helped him stand while he put on the jeans and then she stood back to look at him. He was quite handsome and honestly a little sexy in those clothes.

“You look good...the clothes I mean,” she corrected with a little clearing of her throat.

Logan was sitting watching TV on the projector when Steve and Isabella came out of Steve's room. Steve's eyesight got better every hour it seemed and the food helped. His hair was fairly short and he ran a hand through it. Tony was in his lab as usual. Logan turned his head and grinned when he saw Steve. He shifted up and stepped over toward them, beer bottle in hand.

"Bout time you were on your feet. You don't look no worse for ware," He said. Steve extended his hand to him. "I just want to thank you for coming to get me," Steve said. "Oh I was just in the neighborhood, The Starks are who you should thank," He said. He was being modest. Logan likely saved Steve's life when Natalya could have killed him.

Isabella let Steve walk on his own, but she was there beside him if he needed her. She watched Logan as he approached. Logan could be gruff at times (particularly since finding out Colleen was actually Natalya Sokolova), but today he actually seemed almost pleasant. Isabella heard a noise behind her and looked over to see Tony walk out of his lab. She smiled at him as he approached the group.

"Tony, this is Steve Rogers. Steve, this is my husband, Tony Stark."

"You're looking good for a former Cap Cicle," Tony quipped. Steve smiled at him. "i guess I have you to thank for my rescue," Steve said and extended his hand to Tony. Tony took it. "Oh it was nothing really...just short of impossible, but hey, that's what we do here," He said as he put his arm around Isabella's waste.

"Isabella was the driving force for your rescue. She was the first in and the last out...like a soldier right?" Tony said. Steve smiled again. Tony kissed Isabella's cheek then stepped away from them.

"Then thank you too, Isabella," Steve said. His eyesight had returned enough for him to get a good look at her in the light. She was quite beautiful with large, dark eyes, olive skin and long, waves of black down her shoulders and back. His cheeks colored when his eyes lingered a bit too long on her and he smiled once more and cleared his throat.

"A beer?" Logan asked from the kitchen. Steve hadn't noticed him move. "Uh...sure," He said. Isabella would know that that was not a very good idea considering his blood had just been filtered.