The White Queen (S.Rogers)

Chapter 9

"Well?" Sam asked, rolling his beer bottle in his hands, leaning forward. "How did she respond?"

Steve sighed, taking a sip from his own bottle. "She didn't, really. The waitress came with the check, and then Brooklyn decided she was done with me for the day."

"Done with you?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Steve leaned back in his chair, disgruntled. "She thanked me politely for lunch, and my help with the shopping. Then asked me if I could help her flag a cab down. After I loaded everything in the cab, she again thanked me. Then she just.... left."

Sam started laughing. Steve didn't find anything about the situation funny, so he glared at his friend until he was under control.

Sam took a drink of his beer, shaking his head. "She ditched you, man."

"She didn't ditch me. She had to take her sister home." Steve defended. He leaned forward, placing the beer bottle on the coffee table between them, moving the left-over containers of take out. Reaching up, he rubbed a hand over his face. "If she would just settle down, and let me take care of them... This would be so much easier."
"Steve, she's known you for all of three days." Sam pointed out. "She's not going to just let you walk into her life and take over."

"I know. I do? I know this." Steve shook his head questioning his own response. "I'm just saying, I can help them."

"It sounds like she's been doing pretty good since they got out. She's got a job that pays decent, she's got a place to live, and she's got her sister getting ready for school." Sam stood up, moving over to the kitchen, grabbing another beer. "It doesn't sound like she needs Captain America to swoop in and save her, like some damsel in distress."
"Captain America doesn't want to save her." Steve tried to explain. "Steve Rogers wants to make sure that his friend's daughters are taken care of."

"And in what fashion does Steve Rogers want to take care of them?"

That was the question that had been bouncing around in Steve's head since he had realized that Queenie, who was not only his best friend's daughter, was also raising her sister. The fact that she was Bucky's daughter had given him pause, for all of about a half hour or so. The attraction he had been feeling towards her was something that he was coming to grips with. He knew the general rule of thumb was that female family members were off limits, when it came to friends, but how did that rule apply to an adult child, who almost looked just as old as her own parent?

And it wasn't like Steve had known her since she was small, right? He had met her as an adult. Surely that counted for something.

In any matter, he had been pleased, when in the cab, she had not shied away from his touch. He would admit, it had been an exploratory touch, to see how she would react. As well as holding her hand in the diner. And while it had been exploratory, the feel of her hand in his had felt right. Her hand fit in his, almost like it had been made to sit there. Even now, the lingering feeling of her skin made him smile.

He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "I know I want to make sure that there is at least some sort of male presence in Juliana's life."
"What, like you want to play daddy?" Sam looked at him like he had a hole in his head. "You are just going to move in, and play dollhouse? How does that work with Queenie?'

"I don't know, Sam. But I do know that I just can't leave it alone."

Sam shook his head. "And Bucky is just gonna be okay, coming back, and finding you standing in for him with his family?"

"Were the situation were reversed, I would want him to take care of my family." Steve justified. "At the very least, he would want me to get Brooklyn away from the Mob. Get her out of that club."