It hadn't taken long to get the location of the correct portal. Lucy could have wished that the city hall and Governor's offices had played them for fools and dragged out the relatively simple, routine tasks of taking Steve's details, getting a minute blood sample, and using it to discover which portal would take him home. But, if anything, the line had been quicker today than it had ever been again, and barely twenty minutes after entering the offices, they were exiting, in possession of two maps - one of Rhy'Din, marking the location of the portal here, and one of New York state, marking the location of the portal there. They'd even managed to find out that Steve's Earth was Lucy's. But now they knew where the portal was, it really was only a matter of time before the nearness came to an end.
A simple blood sample was child's play to Steve Rogers. He had weathered it like a champ. The stick of a needle was nothing to him; he didn't even wince. He'd experienced far worse pain than the simple stick of a needle. It was comforting to know that Lucy was from Steve's Earth. It would make finding her that much easier when the time came. She had obviously never heard of him, but that didn't come as much of a surprise. He was a man out of time, and she'd been in Rhy'Din when he'd been reawakened. It was only a matter of time now before he returned to New York, and his heart felt heavier than ever at the thought of leaving her behind.
Lucy hesitated on the sidewalk outside the official-looking building, looking up at Steve with a helpless half-smile. "I suppose it really is time now, isn't it?" she said quietly, nodding toward the map of Rhy'Din. "Where did he say the portal is on this side?"
He glanced at the map, which didn't mean much to him, unfamiliar names of places that meant nothing to him. It seemed the city was broken up into sectors with a river running through the middle of it, surrounded by forest and mountains. The various portals had been clearly marked, and the one they'd been told to take was the closest to city hall. "It's in the Marketplace," he replied, tracing the route with a finger from their present location to that of the portal. "It's not far. We could practically walk."
She stepped up to him, peering around the curve of his shoulder to look down at the map herself, watching as his finger traced out the most direct route. Her hand reached over to still that route, retracing the line with his finger and tracing out a slightly different route. She looked up at him with a smile. "That is a less crowded route," she told him quietly. "Easier to walk the bike through."
His heart hammered hard in his chest when her hand touched his, so acutely aware of her there right beside him, peeking over his shoulder, distracting his brain from his intended trip home. He felt sadness well up inside him, wishing not for the first time that she could go with him. She'd be needed where he was going, but he wouldn't press her about it again. He just had to trust that they'd find each other again. He didn't dare turn his head to look at her, afraid she'd see right through him. He only nodded his head in agreement. "You know this place better than I do," he told her, folding the map and looking around to get his bearings.
"You can return the favor when I get to New York," she told him in answer, curling her hand about his arm for a moment as she rested her cheek against him, steeling herself for the minutes to come. "I hear it's a scary big place." She breathed him in for a long moment before letting go, glancing up and pointing to the south. "That way."
Sadness tugged at his heart as he felt her rest her cheek against his arm and he turned his head toward her, pausing a moment to breathe her in, just as she was doing the same. He leaned over to brush a kiss against her forehead, lingering a moment in silence, before she broke away from him and turned his attention back toward the matter of his leaving. It wouldn't be long now, he knew. He'd be back in New York, and all of this would feel like some crazy dream. I wish you'd come with me, he thought with a heavy heart, keeping that thought to himself, knowing she had to decide for herself, and he had to trust that they'd find each other again before long. He turned in the direction she was pointing, slanting a glance at the sky to try and gauge the direction and the time of day, with nothing familiar to guide him.
"It's not so scary once you get used to it," he replied, scanning the route they were about to take to get to their destination. No one knew who he was here. Without his uniform, he was just another face in the crowd, just another lost soul.
Lucy almost didn't pull away, content to linger against him as long as she could, prolonging the contact between them. She saw him glance skyward, inwardly grateful he hadn't noticed the two moons in the sky the night before. That could have seriously damaged his calm. "It's about midday," she offered quietly, walking the few steps toward where they had left his bike. "The portal should spit you out at a comparable time over there, but, um, I'd recommend finding a daily newspaper just to make sure of the date." His reassurances about the scariness of New York made her smile. "I'm sure I won't find it so scary after a while, then."
Oh, he'd noticed. There wasn't much that blue-eyed gaze hadn't noticed, but the twin moons were just another anomaly that made up this place called Rhy'Din. "Spit me out. That sounds comforting," he remarked, his mouth forming a thin, nervous line. "It's different from..." He broke off, realizing that his own world had become as strange to him as Rhy'Din, even New York had changed. He'd spent that last few months trying to reacquaint himself with the world, traveling from place to place, some of it familiar, but most of it changed. Even Brooklyn was different now. Nothing was the same. He wondered what London must be like now. Maybe she'd take him there someday. Scary. He found that word ironic. She knew more about his own world than he did. "You probably know more about it than I do," he said, before he could stop himself as he watched the clouds move across the unfamiliar sky.
She glanced at him, ever so slightly bemused by his comment on his own unfamiliarity with a city he said he was from. "I doubt it," was her answer, though. "All I know about New York is what I've seen in films. It looks pretty at Christmas is about the deepest insight I have about the Big Apple." She chuckled softly, gently nudging his arm with her own. "You shouldn't worry about things so much, baby. The ordinary stuff generally works itself out."
Christmas. This would be his first Christmas in seventy years. He imagined the Big Apple would look a lot different now during the holidays than it had in his own time. He looked back at her, drawing comfort from her words. If only she knew the truth. "I'm not worried," he replied, frowning. "Okay, maybe I am a little." He forced a smile, not wanting to sadden her or make her worry, like he was. "It'll be fine. It has to be." He wondered if she had any idea how much courage it was going to take to step back through that portal, not really knowing where he might end up.
"Come on. Let's get this over with." He planted a kiss on her cheek, trying to lighten the mood and not let her see how all this was really bothering him, and took hold of her hand to lead her back toward where he'd left his bike and make the final leg of the trip home.
A simple blood sample was child's play to Steve Rogers. He had weathered it like a champ. The stick of a needle was nothing to him; he didn't even wince. He'd experienced far worse pain than the simple stick of a needle. It was comforting to know that Lucy was from Steve's Earth. It would make finding her that much easier when the time came. She had obviously never heard of him, but that didn't come as much of a surprise. He was a man out of time, and she'd been in Rhy'Din when he'd been reawakened. It was only a matter of time now before he returned to New York, and his heart felt heavier than ever at the thought of leaving her behind.
Lucy hesitated on the sidewalk outside the official-looking building, looking up at Steve with a helpless half-smile. "I suppose it really is time now, isn't it?" she said quietly, nodding toward the map of Rhy'Din. "Where did he say the portal is on this side?"
He glanced at the map, which didn't mean much to him, unfamiliar names of places that meant nothing to him. It seemed the city was broken up into sectors with a river running through the middle of it, surrounded by forest and mountains. The various portals had been clearly marked, and the one they'd been told to take was the closest to city hall. "It's in the Marketplace," he replied, tracing the route with a finger from their present location to that of the portal. "It's not far. We could practically walk."
She stepped up to him, peering around the curve of his shoulder to look down at the map herself, watching as his finger traced out the most direct route. Her hand reached over to still that route, retracing the line with his finger and tracing out a slightly different route. She looked up at him with a smile. "That is a less crowded route," she told him quietly. "Easier to walk the bike through."
His heart hammered hard in his chest when her hand touched his, so acutely aware of her there right beside him, peeking over his shoulder, distracting his brain from his intended trip home. He felt sadness well up inside him, wishing not for the first time that she could go with him. She'd be needed where he was going, but he wouldn't press her about it again. He just had to trust that they'd find each other again. He didn't dare turn his head to look at her, afraid she'd see right through him. He only nodded his head in agreement. "You know this place better than I do," he told her, folding the map and looking around to get his bearings.
"You can return the favor when I get to New York," she told him in answer, curling her hand about his arm for a moment as she rested her cheek against him, steeling herself for the minutes to come. "I hear it's a scary big place." She breathed him in for a long moment before letting go, glancing up and pointing to the south. "That way."
Sadness tugged at his heart as he felt her rest her cheek against his arm and he turned his head toward her, pausing a moment to breathe her in, just as she was doing the same. He leaned over to brush a kiss against her forehead, lingering a moment in silence, before she broke away from him and turned his attention back toward the matter of his leaving. It wouldn't be long now, he knew. He'd be back in New York, and all of this would feel like some crazy dream. I wish you'd come with me, he thought with a heavy heart, keeping that thought to himself, knowing she had to decide for herself, and he had to trust that they'd find each other again before long. He turned in the direction she was pointing, slanting a glance at the sky to try and gauge the direction and the time of day, with nothing familiar to guide him.
"It's not so scary once you get used to it," he replied, scanning the route they were about to take to get to their destination. No one knew who he was here. Without his uniform, he was just another face in the crowd, just another lost soul.
Lucy almost didn't pull away, content to linger against him as long as she could, prolonging the contact between them. She saw him glance skyward, inwardly grateful he hadn't noticed the two moons in the sky the night before. That could have seriously damaged his calm. "It's about midday," she offered quietly, walking the few steps toward where they had left his bike. "The portal should spit you out at a comparable time over there, but, um, I'd recommend finding a daily newspaper just to make sure of the date." His reassurances about the scariness of New York made her smile. "I'm sure I won't find it so scary after a while, then."
Oh, he'd noticed. There wasn't much that blue-eyed gaze hadn't noticed, but the twin moons were just another anomaly that made up this place called Rhy'Din. "Spit me out. That sounds comforting," he remarked, his mouth forming a thin, nervous line. "It's different from..." He broke off, realizing that his own world had become as strange to him as Rhy'Din, even New York had changed. He'd spent that last few months trying to reacquaint himself with the world, traveling from place to place, some of it familiar, but most of it changed. Even Brooklyn was different now. Nothing was the same. He wondered what London must be like now. Maybe she'd take him there someday. Scary. He found that word ironic. She knew more about his own world than he did. "You probably know more about it than I do," he said, before he could stop himself as he watched the clouds move across the unfamiliar sky.
She glanced at him, ever so slightly bemused by his comment on his own unfamiliarity with a city he said he was from. "I doubt it," was her answer, though. "All I know about New York is what I've seen in films. It looks pretty at Christmas is about the deepest insight I have about the Big Apple." She chuckled softly, gently nudging his arm with her own. "You shouldn't worry about things so much, baby. The ordinary stuff generally works itself out."
Christmas. This would be his first Christmas in seventy years. He imagined the Big Apple would look a lot different now during the holidays than it had in his own time. He looked back at her, drawing comfort from her words. If only she knew the truth. "I'm not worried," he replied, frowning. "Okay, maybe I am a little." He forced a smile, not wanting to sadden her or make her worry, like he was. "It'll be fine. It has to be." He wondered if she had any idea how much courage it was going to take to step back through that portal, not really knowing where he might end up.
"Come on. Let's get this over with." He planted a kiss on her cheek, trying to lighten the mood and not let her see how all this was really bothering him, and took hold of her hand to lead her back toward where he'd left his bike and make the final leg of the trip home.