The Savior

Chapter 7

  The cab pulled up outside a small diner in a quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn. Peyton paid the cab driver and turned to see a grin on Steve's face. The diner hadn't been the exact same as it was in the 1940's, but it was a diner he knew and visited frequently when he was younger.
"I can't believe this is still here." He said as they crossed the street to enter the front doors.
The diner had been sold in the 1950's and was a family operated business that had been kept in the family all these years. They have been voted "Best Milkshakes in NYC" the last twelve years and had been featured on various food network television shows. Peyton had caught part of an episode while she was recovering in the hospital and thought Steve would love it there.
"I didn't realize you knew this place." She smiled "I just saw a special about this place on the TV in the hospital and it made me think of you."
Steve smiled and took her hand in his, and began telling her stories of his childhood and stories of Bucky. He had been beaten up in the lot that was once empty across the street, and down the alley way next to the diner. Apparently he was beaten up a lot, and Bucky seemed to be the one who kept him out of trouble. He didn't seem sad at all but seemed to glow while he reminisced of a time that had long since passed.
   They went inside and took a table near the windows. It was quiet as they flipped through the menus.
"Do I want a traditional chocolate or strawberry milkshake?" Peyton wondered aloud.
Scrunching his nose Steve bobbed his head trying to decide himself. "I was wondering that myself," he said "but you really can't go wrong with vanilla either. What are you getting to eat?"
"Cheeseburger. Definitely have to have a cheeseburger in a place like this. You?"
He glanced up from his menu and returned her smile. "I'm gonna have to go with the meatloaf. Mom use to make great meatloaf when I was a kid. It was comfort food and didn't cost much to make so we had it a lot. I haven't really had a chance to have any since I've come back."
   The waitress came back to take their orders and Peyton insisted on ordering all three flavor milkshakes since they couldn't decide to go with their meals. They talked and laughed until the lady brought their frozen drinks to the table.
  "Oh man, look at those." She said practically licking her lips. It was kind of cliche splitting milkshakes in a diner. One milkshake two straws but it was a great time.
She was really surprised with the amount of food that Steve could pack away. She ate her burger and a few fries and took a few sips from each milkshake before having her fill. After Steve cleared his plate and started in on the vanilla milkshake she slid her plate over to him so he could finish her fries.
After the last of the milkshakes had melted Peyton insisted on paying the bill, and after a brief argument, Steve conceded, and she was sure to tip the waitress handsomely.
"You know, I wasn't raised to let the ladies pay for my meals."  Steve gave her a pointed look.
"Well, after all you've done for me, and for all you're doing for me, it's the least I can do. Besides, this is the 21st century and feminism is a big deal. You might want to get use to eating for free." Peyton gave him a wink.
They stepped outside and the air was chilly again, as the sun had now began to set. The sky was dimly lit as the sun had dipped down below the buildings, showing hues of pink and orange reaching across to what was the start of the night time sky. Steve hailed a cab and they headed back to his apartment.
After showering and settling in on the couch in front of the TV, Peyton's mind began to go back to her attack, as it often did when she was alone. Closing her eyes she could still see the faces of her attackers. She could still feel the stale breath of the man who had beat her, fan across her cheek.
She was so lost in thought she didn't hear Steve come and sit at the opposite end of the couch. His voice nearly made her jump out of her skin when she heard him ask if she was okay.
"Fine. Just thinking." She smiled
Steve was beginning to get to know her and knew she wasn't being entirely honest. "Something's on your mind. You looked pretty deep in thought there. I can practically hear the gears grinding." He pressed.
"Well, I guess I was just thinking about what I'll do from here to help protect myself. I carry mace but I didn't even have a chance to use it that night. I'm wondering if I should join some self defense classes."
"I'm sure that wouldn't be a bad thing. You should know how to defend yourself even if you weren't attacked. It's a good thing to know. You know I can talk to some people at the tower. I'm sure Natasha wouldn't mind showing you a few pointers."
Peyton mulled it over in her head. Avengers Tower. Seemed pretty intimidating being she knew nothing about combat or any type of self defense. "I don't know," she said. "Seems a little intimidating. Plus aren't they all so busy? Surely they have better things to do than teach me how to throw a punch. People who need actual saving and all that."
Steve gave her a warm smile. "I'm pretty sure that the Agents at the tower would agree with me when I say that self defense can be a very important thing to learn. Not to mention handy. Plus I think Natasha would be a good person to learn from. I could teach you to throw a punch no problem, but she's better at using her entire body as a weapon. She's closer to your size and it might be better to get a females perspective."
Peyton still wasn't convinced. Natasha was a bad ass bitch for sure from what she had read about her in news clippings and seen on the news. She closed her eyes and a flash of her male attackers came into view. She shuddered and snapped her eyes to Steve. "Just let me know when."