Status: In the Works

Waiting for a Hero

Part One

Chris sat in the restaurant with the menu propped up in front of him. It wasn’t a fancy place, just a local Bob Evans that was on the way to his apartment. He tugged his hat off and pulled his shades from his nose with a sigh. At the early morning of five not many people were in the small restaurant and so Chris felt comfortable taking his guise off, if only for a little while. He glanced over the top of the menu when he saw a girl plop down in the booth in front of him. He smiled a bit when she rose up to look at him curiously then darted down out of sight again. Chris went back to reading his menu.

He read over the breakfast options and hummed at the thought of country fried steak for breakfast. He paused when he felt a light tug at his sleeve and when he lowered the menu he saw the little girl from the other booth. She was older than he thought, maybe thirteen, and she smiled a bit at him as she pushed at her wavy red hair.

"I’m Addison," she greeted offering him a hand and he smiled and shook her hand greeting her warmly,

"Chris."

"My mom is a huge fan, she has like all your movies but I’m not allowed to watch most of them," she said and Chris blushed a bit recalling his more racy films. He cleared his throat.

"I’m sure she has a good reason for it," he offered and she nodded before sliding in the seat across from him. He smiled amused and laid his menu down on the table. "What can I do for you Addison?"

"I have fourteen dollars saved in my bag," she told him seriously, "I know it’s not much but if you have breakfast with my mom and me, I’ll give you all fourteen dollars and tell you a secret to get the paparazzi to stop taking pictures of you." Chris bit back the laugh and smiled warmly, truly touched by the girl’s resolve for her mother. She was doing something very selfless and kind for her mother and he was grinning as he thought over the offer.

"A trick huh?" he asked arching a brow and she nodded seriously, not letting her eyes leave him. He bit his bottom lip thoughtfully. Breakfast with a fan wouldn’t be so bad, she was a mother so she probably wouldn’t hit on him too hard and the girl seemed very persistent. Chris gave a slight shake of his head and chuckled. "I can’t take your money Addison," he said smiling at her.

"Please, just breakfast then I’ll go to school and mom will go for her run and you won’t have to see us ever again," she begged peeking over the small glass window across the booths towards the bathroom. Chris looked too and then back at the young red head. She looked at him with big brown eyes and her bottom lip jutted out. He scratched the back of his neck and nodded with a sigh.

"Alright, breakfast with you and your mom, I’d be honored," he said and Addison grinned, sliding out of the booth and tugging him to the one she had sat in before.

Addison slid into the booth and scooted over so Chris could sit next to her. She stood up a bit and waved to a woman coming down the aisle. Chris twisted around to look and his heart jumped in his throat. She was beautiful. Dark and thick hair pulled up in a messy, unkempt bun at the back of her head and large liquid chocolate eyes that burned like embers when she looked at him.

"Addi, did you bother him? I told you to stay put," she scolded lightly when she neared the table and shifted in her baggy ASPCA tee. Her gym shorts accentuated her long and athletic legs and Chris could tell she was a runner- maybe a swimmer. Or a gymnast.

"No I-"

"I asked her if I could join her," Chris cut in, "She looked lonely and I didn’t know where her parents were so I offered to sit with her. I’m sorry if I upset you," he said with that disarming smile as he held up a hand. "I’m Chris."

"Emmy," she greeted with a smile and a voice like honey, Chris gently shook her hand and was surprised by her strong grip. Emmy took the seat across from himself and Addison and nodded to the little girl, "What did she say? Really?" she asked with a knowing smile and Chris sighed dramatically.

"She threatened to reveal my secret identity to the world," he said and Emmy giggled lightly and sipped her water.

"And what Identity is that?" she asked playing along and Addison smiled at how happy her mom seemed to be. Emmy was smiling big and her eyes glittered, there was a glow about her, a careless wonderment in her eyes that Addison had never seen before. Chris smiled and leaned over the table to whisper to them both playfully,

"Well, I’m not Chris Evans. I’m really," he glanced around suspiciously, "Steve Rogers."

"I knew it!" Emmy said clapping her hands once and leaning back, pointing at him as he sat back and chuckled. "I knew it all along."