Hello Captain (Steve Rogers)

Home at Last

Sarah's POV

It was after nine by the time we finished eating, so I told my mom I was tired from the long week and ready for bed, which I was, so Steve and I went upstairs and changed for bed. Steve had said on the way here that he didn't think we should sleep in the same room together because my dad would have kittens and I'd laughed at his phrasing. I pulled him into my room, kissing him lightly before laying my head on his chest. He stroked my hair lightly, careful of my shoulder.

"Steve, will you lay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Only until then." He let go of me then, so I plugged my phone in and climbed into my comfy bed, reaching for his hand. I pulled him down onto my bed, settling myself in his arms.

"I'll see you in the morning, Sarah." He gave me a chaste kiss on my forehead and held me tightly.

"Good night, Steve."

I woke up in the middle of the night, reaching for Steve, only to remember he was in the guest room. I couldn't fall back asleep, so I got up to go get a drink. I could see light spilling out under the door to the guest room so I opened it and looked in to see if Steve was sleeping. He was sitting up in bed, reading a book. He looked up at me in surprise.

"Hey. I saw the light under your door. Can't sleep?" I whispered, shutting the door behind me.

"No, I seem have gotten used to a certain somebody in my arms at night," he smiled, shutting the book and setting it aside. I walked over to him and climbed on his lap, tucking my head in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around me.

"And who would that be?" I kissed his cheek lightly.

"Hmm, I wonder."

"So since you're awake and I'm awake – want to have a difficult conversation before I have it with my parents?"

"That sounds... interesting – what kind of difficult conversation?"

I turned so I could see his face. "So yesterday, when we were at Tony's, I saw a picture in his lab from 1993. He and my mom were in it along with everyone working on something called Project Genesis."

"I'm not going to like this conversation, am I?" He stroked my face lightly, holding my eyes with his cobalt ones.

"Maybe, maybe not; probably not. I kinda thought I shouldn't blind side you, but I don't know all the details yet." I scooted off his lap and hugged my knees up to my chest, watching as he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest; briefly distracted by the rippling of his muscles.

"I'm listening, Sarah; tell me what you do know."

"I'm kinda condensing this down to the basics, so bear with me as I talk this through. Project Genesis involved healthy, married women who couldn't get pregnant naturally. They were implanted with viable enhanced embryos. Of all of those involved, only one of them was able to carry a baby long enough for it to survive a really premature birth.

There was an accident, and I understand that the woman and her husband were both in it, but he didn't make it. She only lived long enough to see the baby – me – be born. They had no other family, so a friend of theirs who worked at the project offered to adopt me and raise me as their own if I survived. I guess it turns out that she and her husband couldn't have kids either, so it worked out for the best. The biological dad and program director approved it." I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, but I really didn't want to cry yet.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" He reached over and put his hand over mine.

"I don't know. Of all the people in the world, who do you think my biological dad is, Steve?"