All Along - Steve Rogers {1}

Chapter 5: Path To Peace

"We know this neighbourhood. I got beat up in that alley." Steve said, pointing out the very alley where Nellie and Steve first met. Nellie cast her eyes to the left, remembering that day as if was yesterday, the feeling causing her heart to flutter. She glanced back at Steve to see him already watching her, a small smile on his face as he remembered the encounter too. Nellie then let her mind fall on Bucky, would he be fighting by now, or would he still be in England? Was he okay? "And that parking lot. And behind that diner." Steve continued pointing out the places as the car rolled through the street of Brooklyn towards the SSR base that had been Nellie's place of work for the last seven months.

Up until that moment, the car journey had been painfully silent as Steve and Nellie personally dealt with the fear and nerves of what was about to happen to them, not to mention Nellie's own dread of having to face Howard Stark again after their encounter earlier on in the week. She was still angry with him, but that was a conversation for another day, today was about her... and Steve.

Nellie was currently riding shotgun next to a very silent driver whilst Steve and Agent Carter were next to each other in the back of the car much to Nellie's distaste. The drive from New Jersey to Brooklyn had been a long one, and as the streets became more and more familiar Nellie's palms began to sweat and her heart beats began to quicken with anticipation.

"Did you have something against running away?" Nellie heard Agent Carter ask from behind her and she couldn't help the way her face folded into a scowl as she listened to Peggy's sickly sweet voice. Nellie had come to the conclusion that Peggy liked Steve, liked him the way that she liked him. Nellie didn't blame her, Steve was a wonderful man, but she couldn't help but think Peggy was only acting in that way to spite her due to her sudden disliking of Nellie.

"You start running they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?" Steve explained as he stared down at his hands. Much like Nellie, he was insanely nervous, he was sure that he has already sweated through his undershirt and feared that it was going to seep through to his actual shirt. Despite all this, his mind was again settled on the woman that was sat in the seat in front of him. He could see how nervous she was with the way she was biting her lip and wringing her hands. What he'd give to take her hand in his own and hold her to help soothe her.

"I know a little of what that's like. To have every door shut in your face." Peggy responded in her flirtatious voice, Nellie could just imagine her batting her thick eyelashes at Steve, trying to woo him with the struggles she's faced to reach where she is today. Nellie couldn't deny that it wasn't impressive, though it didn't mean that she want to hear about it.

Nellie half expected Steve to end the conversation there but his response took her breath away, and not in a good way. "I guess I just don't why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame. Or a beautiful... a woman. An agent, not a dame! You are beautiful, but..." Steve fumbled over his words as Nellie's mouth dropped open and her heart twinged with hurt. He thinks she's beautiful?

Steve, however, froze. He did not mean for his words to come out the way that they did. He was not trying to flirt! He was just trying to be polite. She knows I don't know how to talk to girls! I've ruined it, look at Nel's face. He could see her crumpled and hurt expression and just prayed to God that he hadn't lost her because of that silly mistake.

Agent Carter laughed. "You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?" She asked him, staring at what she thought was an embarrassed face. She admired his compliment and smiled at the thought of being chosen over Eleanor Barnes for once.

"Not really." Steve shrugged, wanting to end the conversation there and then to avoid digging himself down deeper into the hole he had already created.