AU Milliways

[therighttime]

The door opens from one pub to the next. A rosy-tinted, warm little English pub filled to the brim with uniformed soldiers and local girls, crowing and laughing and being alive, really feeling it for the first time in longer than any of them would like to admit.

The woman who is leaving that particular pub is tall - very tall, inches over six feet - shapely in her 1940s olive dress uniform. Her make-up is fresh, her tie in perfect order, her hair is even curled in classic victory rolls (it took three showgirls three hours to make it happen, but they're all used to it by now).

Stephanie Rogers is grinning, flush-faced and filled with joy as she waves to a dark-haired soldier at the bar and steps purposefully into -- another bar.

She recognizes a shift, a difference immediately, and keeps one hand on the knob even as she frowns thoughtfully at the room around her.

Comments

[therighttime]

"Or too good to be true," Steph agrees with a small smile. "I'll be glad to call on you, if the time comes I'm in your sort of trouble."

[without_fear]

"If I'm even born yet," Maggie says lightly. "But if you run into me in the bar, I'll do what I can to help."

[therighttime]

Steph pauses, then smiles a little sheepishly. "That obvious, ma'am?"

Part of the reason she'd be proud to call on Maggie is because Stephanie would be glad to support any woman who goes out doing men's work - and doing it well.

[without_fear]

Maggie grins. "Well, Ma'am is a giveaway. Plus you were really surprised and happy to hear of a female lawyer. Not that it's not hard at this end of the century."

And there's the Captain America thing.

[therighttime]

Steph laughs, head ducked, accepting that answer. "Yeah, sorry about that. But I hope you're not too far ahead of me. It'd be nice to think a lady could get that job in time for me to see it back home."

[without_fear]

Maggie echoes it, in tone as well as timing. "I'm absolutely certain you will, Captain Rogers."

[therighttime]

"That'd be nice." Steph's smile is soft, hopeful. It would be really nice if she could get Peggy to believe her about this place and tell her the same story. She'd love to hear it, Steph's sure, since so far as the captain is concerned, the agent earned her uniform through sheer competence, not a big boost of science.

"I suppose it's in bad taste to ask much about the future? No one told me that was against the rules."

[without_fear]

"I don't think it is," Maggie says. "But there's no guarantee it will stay the future just because I tell you. What would you like to know?"

[therighttime]

Steph pauses, thinking. She hadn't found a place for Maggie's business card yet, so it's twisted thoughtfully between her fingers, careful not to bend the corners. "I guess just... what it's like. I'd guess you know more about my time - I mean, assuming we're from the same universe and all."

She frowns a little. That part hadn't been entirely clear in the introduction.

"...but if you have flying cars, I know a fella who'd love to know how it was done."

[without_fear]

"No flying cars, I'm afraid."

She's disappointed too. "Well, none in public use. I can tell you that while we're probably not from the same universe, I think we're like - one universe over."

[therighttime]

"Really?"

Steph is kind of disappointed about the car thing, too. Especially when Howard had gotten it to hover for a minute or two. If Maggie's that far in the future, surely some sort of progress could be made.

Though that's only half the reason for her response. The other is pure curiosity, her head tilted as she lays the card flat, fingertips skimming the edges. "What makes you think so?"

[without_fear]

"Well," Maggie says, "and believe me, I know first hand how weird this is to hear, but in my universe there was a well known soldier in that war, called Captain Stephen Rogers."

[therighttime]

Steph blinks and smiles, almost in the same breath, amused. "Well, I suppose that's a hint, ma'am, but where I'm from, Rogers isn't exactly an uncommon name."

[without_fear]

"Probably not," Maggie admits.

"But Captain Rogers really made a name for himself. I dont' suppose you've heard the title 'Captain America?'"

[therighttime]

Well, then.

That wipes the smile right off Steph's face.

"...yes," she says slowly, sitting up. "You could suppose that."

[without_fear]

Maggie loses her own smile.

"It's weird, huh? Probably more for you, with what you must have been through."

[therighttime]

There's a Captain America who's a man.

Steph hasn't even set eyes on him and for a horrible moment, she hates the concept enough to be fighting back a furious growl or a petulant whine.

"It's... interesting," she decides on after a few moments, quiet. "I can think of a few from home who might have preferred a Stephen over a Stephanie."

[without_fear]

"Well, they can get stuffed," Maggie says. "I'd lay money on it right now that a Stephanie will work out better for your world."

[therighttime]

Steph looks up, forcing a sweet smile before she realizes the effect is mostly lost on Maggie. Still, it's not a bad habit to keep up. Like any other set of manners to hide how much she hates to be coddled.

"I appreciate that, ma'am. So you knew from the start about the- Captain America bit, huh?"

[without_fear]

Maggie wriggles a hand roughly.

"Good guess. I knew about Steve, and this is not the first time this has happened around here. If you ever meet Matthew Murdock, feel free to exact revenge by telling him his socks don't match."

What? Like she's going to mention the double D?

[therighttime]

It takes a second for Steph to get it before she lets out a sharp laugh - then covers her mouth with her hand, face heating. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- it's not funny, really."

[without_fear]

"Really?" Maggie asks, feigning innocence. "Because my partner assures me it's hilarious."

[therighttime]

"Well, no, that is, if it's a joke of course it's- not that I-"

Steph pauses, inhales deeply, then sighs it out in a laugh, dropping her gaze to the table.

"My best friend gave up on baiting me years ago. He says it's too easy."

[without_fear]

Maggie is grinning now, laughing silently. "Well, now you have made it too easy. And I wasn't even trying to bait you."

[therighttime]

"What I get for trying to be polite in every situation," Steph agrees, laughing quietly on her own. "I really need to quit that."

She's working on it, though. The boys outside that door wouldn't have agreed to follow her if she couldn't at least swear properly.