1 Chapter One

Before the sun even had the chance to come up, Steve Rogers was out running. Daily. The super soldier also had no idea how to leave quietly, of course. Having given up on going back to sleep, Carissa had gotten dressed to wait for Natasha. She may only be 13, but she was always helpful to have around, or so her aunt Nat had always said. She taught Carissa as much as she'd figured she'd retain, promising to make her an even better assassin than Nat when she got older. There was already the promise of giving her a second gun when the time came. She didn't know what that meant, exactly. She assumed it was an age thing, not a maturity thing. She had hoped so.

They had pulled up to pick up her dad. They saw him talking to another man. "Hey, fellas." Nat said. "Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

Carissa laughed from her spot in the backseat. "That's hilarious." Her dad responded.

"Duh." She replied. Sometimes she wondered if he really had a sense of humor. He was so uptight all the time. She knew he was Captain America and was supposed to be that way, but sometimes she wished he could just be her dad, not her security guard. 

The guy her dad had been talking to leaned down to see through the window, looking at Nat. "How you doing?" He'd asked her.

She responded with a simple "Hey." before Steve turned back to him. "Can't run everywhere." He'd said, referring to the car.

"No, you can't." He responded.

And with that, they drove off. They had a mission to brief on. Riss had hated that part, the waiting. It got boring way too quickly. Later that night, she'd found herself in the jet above the Indian Ocean. This was what she'd been waiting for all day. She had strict orders to follow Natasha, set by her father. She had a gun placed in her thigh holster as she pulled her long, blonde hair out of its ponytail. It laid around her and her black catsuit like a blanket in soft waves. Natasha nodded, and smiled at her. She'd always called Carissa her mini-me, only blonde. She'd spent so much time grooming Riss to be like her, it was only fitting. She was almost an Avenger; Tony had told her. Almost.

The adults talked about everything they needed to know and be prepared for as she just awaited her cue. Nat was told to kill the engines and await instructions. Those were the orders she was to follow as well. She stood behind Nat as she tried, once again, to set Steve up on a date. She failed every time, but she tried anyway. He hadn't been even thinking of seeing anyone in two years, since Riss's mom had died.

"He'll never go for it, Tash." Riss told her. She shrugged and kept trying. "Too shy, or too scared?" She asked him. He raised his hands around him before pointing to Riss. "Too busy." He replied. He jumped out, lacking a parachute.

"Idiot's gonna die before he goes on a date." She mumbled. Nat laughed. Leave her behind as an orphan, why don't you?

"I'm sure you'll go on a date long before he ever does, Riss." She smiled and they jumped out, activating our parachutes. Why the hell would she do that? Nat tried again to suggest a date before she's told to secure the engine room first. "I'm multitasking." She defended, before launching herself over a railing to get down to the lower floor. Riss followed her lead. She didn't like the feeling of falling, but the railing wasn't that far up.

Down the hallway, Nat stood behind a guy as he answered the phone. Riss stood a bit behind her, a few steps down the stairs she'd used to get up there. She heard footsteps coming as she begins to fight him off. With her hand on her gun, she waits. Nat wrapped her grapple rope around his neck and backflipped off the railing, him being the one thing that had stopped her from falling. Carissa pulled the grapple out of her pocket. She wrapped it around the railing before she followed Nat down. She pulled her gun out and aimed it at the guy ahead of us. Nat nodded and she pulled the trigger, a perfect shot just as she had been trained. The lifeless body fell to the ground. They continued to fall and shoot at everyone they came into contact with until they'd hit a platform. Nat took out the last two guys on a platform under them, and they were good to go.

"What do you think about Rumlow?" Riss asked her suddenly.

"I'm not interested." She responded.

"Not romantically."

She put a hand up before rushing up on a guy ahead of them. "Hang on!" She yelled into her earpiece. As she took the one down, another appeared. When both were out, she turned back to Carissa.

"You were saying?" She asked.

"He gives me the creeps." Riss told her. "I don't trust him."

"Trust no one." Was all she said. Riss nodded.

Does that include her?

With something in mind to ponder later, she followed her into a room full of computers. "Tash, what are we doing?"

She shushed her and went back to what she had been doing as the door busted down and Steve tumbled through.

"Well, this is awkward." She said before turning back to the computer. Steve looked up at her then at Riss. She shrugged since she actually had no idea why she was even there. She was just following orders. Steve figured this out and turned back to Nat. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Backing up the hard drive. It's a good habit to get into." She said. He brushed past Riss and continued.

"Rumlow needed your help." He told her. "What the hell are you doing here?" He looked up at the screens ahead of them before he continued. "You're saving S.H.I.E.L.D Intel."

"Whatever I can get my hands on." She replied.

"Our mission is to rescue hostages." He said.

"No, that's your mission, and you've done it beautifully." She said, trying to walk away.

Steve grabbed her. "You just jeopardized this whole operation." He said.

She shook her head. "I think that's overstating things."

There was a clatter in the corner, which made Carissa pull her gun out. The guy threw a grenade just as a shot rang out. She heard him grunt, which had made her smile. Steve grabbed Natasha and threw her into another room. Carissa made a face at him before she followed, jumping through the same window.

"Okay. That ones on me." Nat said.

"You're damn right." Steve said. Riss groaned before pulling herself up as best as she could. They'd landed on a lot of glass. He got up and walked out, motioning for Riss to follow. They got the hostages and left.

S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters was a highly secured place. Probably the only place that had still continued to question her, no matter whose daughter she happened to be. Obviously, going there on the back of her dad's bike had not been ideal. He couldn't have a car? He had to have a motorcycle? Really?

He stormed into Fury's office, immediately throwing accusations of lying, she had stayed a few paces behind. She had been enjoying the show. Fury denied ever lying, that Nat just had a different mission.

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share." Dad said.

"I'm not obliged to do anything." Fury responded, facing the window still.

"Those hostages could've died, Nick."

He finally turned his chair to face Steve. "I sent the greatest soldier I'm history to make sure that didn't happen." Now that his chair had been turned, he could see me. He eyed me suspiciously as my dad responded.

"Soldiers trust each other. That's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns."

"My dad's the greatest soldier because he had the greatest team. The Howling Commandos are also to thank. Sergeant Bucky Barnes as well." She'd chimed in. She loved hearing the stories of her dad and Bucky, just as much as he loved telling them. She wished she had gotten to know him. Her dad smiled at what she had said.

Fury stood before responding to Steve, not even acknowledging her. "Last time I trusted someone; I lost an eye. Look, I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."

Lost an eye, huh?

"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own."

"It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets, because nobody knows them all." Nick countered.

"Except you." Dad said.

She continued to watch the exchange between the men. She noticed how Fury still doesn't trust her, eyeing her every so often, sending her suspicious looks every once in a while. Does he really not trust her that much?

They walked through an elevator as the panel on the side said Steve didn't have clearance for Project Insight.

"Director override." Fury said. Riss went through the door next.

"Carissa Carter Rogers does not have clearance for Project Insight."

"Can she step out?" Fury asked my dad.

"I would prefer if-"

Fury shook his head. "I wasn't really asking."

Steve sighed, sending her a look and she noded. She walked out of the room and down the hall, running into Rumlow.

"Got kicked out?" He asked. She nodded. "Follow me." He said.

She placed her right hand over the gun in her thigh holster, instantly comforted. She continued to follow Rumlow over to a vending machine. He put money in and handed her a pack of M&Ms.

"Thanks." She said, opening the pack carefully. Something about Rumlow had always put her off, but she just couldn't place it. 

"You know, we have a lot of information on you and your dad." He said. "We know your favorite color, candy, everything. We even know about the little crush you seem to have on Sergeant James Barnes."

"Bucky." She replied.

Rumlow shrugs. Why did she say that? How would she feel if he had called him Bucky? She'd probably get pissed and she had known it. 

"Riss? Let's go." Steve called. 

"We even know all of your nicknames." Rumlow told me. She nodded, uncomfortable. Why was he telling her this?

"Bye, Rumlow. Thanks for the M&Ms."

"See you around, Riss."

She followed her dad out to the bike. Her catsuit made squeaking sounds against the leather of the seat.

They drove the familiar road to the Smithsonian. Her favorite thing to do with her dad, visit Bucky Barnes.

They walked through, he remained silent as ever. They walked to where the information on Bucky sat. Finally, he spoke. "I heard a piece of the conversation you had with Rumlow." He told her.

"It was weird." She replies.

"Your crush on Bucky or the conversation?" He asked.

"Both." She replied.

Her dad laughed. She smiled at him before she turned back to face the video of her dad and Bucky.

"He was my best friend."

"I know, dad." She'd heard it a million times.

"He would've loved you."

That was something she'd never heard.

"You think?" She asked.

He nods. "Maybe not the way you do him," He smiled teasingly, "but he would've."

She frowned slightly.

What difference does it make? He's dead.

Her dad had her sit through the video of Peggy Carter for the hundred millionth time.

"Would you go back, dad? If you could? Live happily ever after with her?" As many times as she'd seen this, she'd never asked.

He thought for a second. "If there was a way for me to have her and you, yes. But there isn't. There's no such thing as time travel and even if there were, it would erase you from existence."

"I'm sure if there were such thing as time travel, Tony would be the one to figure it out."

"You think so?" Dad asked.

"Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist." She said.

"In that order?" He asked, obviously amused.

She shrugged. "Who knows."

She sat in the corner of the room as her dad talked to Peggy. He loved spending time with her, especially after the Smithsonian. The video messed with him more than he'd let on. Carissa understood. Seeing the life he could've had with her couldn't be easy. It didn't take long for Peggy to forget he was there and be shocked all over again to see him. It'd broken her heart to see it, to see her dad in so much pain. He looked at her and Peggy followed his gaze. "Who's this beautiful girl?" Peggy asked again. She's asked that multiple times before.

"My daughter, Carissa Carter." He said.

"She has my name?" Peggy asked. She nodded. Then the nurse ushered us out.

"I'm sorry, dad."

He sighed and kissed my forehead. "Ice cream?" He asks.

She shook her head. "Cheeseburgers."

"You're so much like Tony it's not even funny."

After getting burgers, she followed her dad down a hallway, into what looked like a support group, being spoken to by the guy from the park. She hadn't recognized the place or even the side of town they had been on. After the meeting, Steve walked over to him. They talked about problems from the war. She hung back a bit, allowing them to talk about their experiences in private. After a few minutes passed, she finally walked over.

The guy looked at Steve. "What makes you happy?" He asked.

"I don't know." Steve answered.

"Hey!" Riss exclaimed. Steve smiled at her and so did the other guy. "You're the famous Carissa. I'm Sam." He said.

"I'm famous?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her dad. They both laughed.

"Can we do ice cream now?" Steve asked, just like a small child would've. "We already did burgers."

"I guess." She said. She grabbed his arm and dragged him away from Sam. She turned back to wave before she continued to pull Steve away.

She and Steve met their neighboring nurse as they walked up to their apartment, ice cream in hand. After their brief exchange, she told him she believed he left the stereo on. He thanked her before hesitating to unlock the door. "Stay here." He told Riss. She placed a hand on her gun as she waited.  He decided to go around and she followed as they enter the apartment through a window. Fury sat in Steve's chair. He talked to him as she continued to hover her hand above her gun as she waited. He stood as guns go off, leaving holes in the wall.

Riss's gun was up and aimed towards where the shots rang from. The nurse walked in and takes care of Fury. She had been an agent that whole time, assigned to watch them. They'd never known, but there was a lot the pair still hadn't known.

"Tell them I'm in pursuit." Steve told her. He nodded at Riss and they jumped out of the window, chasing after the shooter. Thank god for the shield. Without it, no way in hell would they have been able to rush through so many glass walls and wood doors. A far jump through another window had put them face to face with the shooter. Steve rolled and stood seconds after she had stood to face him. She had waited for her orders. Dad threw the shield and he caught it with his metal arm. Riss's breath hitched as a chill ran down her spine. He threw it back and Steve caught it, sliding back a few feet. She took off towards him, Steve following close behind her. They reached the edge of the roof, seeing he's gone. Riss sighed, attempting to pull her dad back to the apartment. 

Natasha rushed into the hospital room as they watched through a glass while they operated on Fury. The beeping had started to indicate the life drained from him. Time of death, 1:03 a.m. She followed her dad out of the room and over to where Fury laid on the gurney. Tash wasn't handling it well; despite the front she'd put up. Riss put a hand on her shoulder as Steve came up behind them. She turned to walk away and Steve followed.

Rumlow walked over, saying he's wanted back at S.H.I.E.L.D. Riss watched as he placed the drive Fury had handed him into the venting machine before going with Rumlow, her right behind. He walked up to Alexander Pierce before walking into his office. She walked in right behind him. She'd never liked Pierce.

Pierce told Steve a story about Fury before he asked why he was there. Steve told him he didn't know and Pierce looked to Riss. She kept a straight face and he turned back to her dad. They moved on to talk about the Pirates and Nick orchestrating that. She looked back and forth between Pierce and her dad.

What the hell was going on? 

Pierce asked Steve again why Fury was at the apartment. Steve told him Fury had said not to trust anyone. Technically, that had been his dying wish. 

"I wonder if that included him." Pierce said.

That's what she had said about Tash.

He told Pierce those were his last words before they walked away. Riss followed. Before they walked out, Pierce told him that if anyone gets in the way of him finding out what happened to Fury, they'd regret it. Riss and Steve shared a glance before they finally made their way down the hall. 

They walked down the hall and into the elevator. He told it where they wanted to go as Rumlow walked in.

"Cap." He said.

"Rumlow." He responded. Rumlow turned to me.

"Riss." He said. She nodded in response.

Steve looked at a guy with his hand on his gun as more enter. He looked to Riss and nodded. She hovered her hand over her holster, waiting. He shot the guy another worried look as the elevator stopped again. More guys enter.

"Before we get started, does anyone wanna get out?" Steve asked. She removed her hand from her gun as a guy pulled out what looks like a long taser. He swung it at Steve and Riss kicked his hand away. A fight broke out in the elevator with Carissa and Steve in the dead center. The elevator stopped and they attempted to restrain Steve. Carissa attempted to intervene, but her small stature made it easy to just be picked up. They both had put up the best fight they could. Rumlow was the last standing, telling Steve this wasn't personal. Carissa sighed before drawing her fist back and connecting it with his nose. She'd wanted to do that for a while now. She looked over at Steve for him to finish him off. Once he's out, Steve sighs.

"Kinda feels personal." He said. She agreed.

Steve started the elevator again only to face more armed agents. He used the shield to disconnect the cord holding the elevator up. Carissa grips onto the bar desperately as she felt they had started to fall before the elevator stopped itself. He forced the door open, more agents heading their way.  He looked out the window and thought for a second before pulling Riss behind him, putting him and the shield under her. He launched them both out the window and they landed hard on the floor before they were up and running. Attempting to escape, they hopped on the bike. A jet met them at the end of the bridge.

"Ready?" Steve asked.

"As I'll ever be." She told him, ready to stand. The jet started to shoot at them and he threw the shield.

He hit the brakes and they both went flying onto the jet. He continued to destroy it before jumping down. Riss hesitates. Steve looked at her, holding his hand out in a silent promise to not let her fall. She sighed; she'd been falling this whole time. She finally gave in, launching herself off the jet.

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