Brooklyn and Steve were awake, getting ready for the day, when a marked SUV pulled up beside the RV, parking. It was still running, and she watched it through the blinds as she sipped her coffee. Steve was in the bathroom still, claiming he needed a minute, and she had wrinkled her nose at him before he laughed and kissed her, going in and shutting the door.

She watched the SUV run for a moment, frowning, before she sighed and set her coffee down. They must be running the information on the RV. It would come back as a rental, and possibly rented to Pops. That might set up red flags, especially for a state trooper. She walked over to the door, making sure her hoodie was zipped all the way up to her neck, hiding her collar, then taking a deep breath, opening it and went down the stairs, putting a nonthreatening smile on her face.

She stood at the door, and waved. The door opened and a man a little smaller than Steve, his face wrinkled and stern opened the door to the SUV and climbed out.
"Ma'am, is this your vehicle?" He asked, shutting the door, his hand resting casually on is holstered gun. Brooklyn noticed the motion and shifted, but didn't make a move. It was a learned motion, she detected, rather than a threatening one. This was a man who had been doing this a long time, and had trained himself to be ready for anything. Although, what one had to be ready for in rural Montana, Brooklyn was unaware of. Perhaps the local wild animals got too rowdy on a Saturday night?

"Yes. Well, my adopted father rented it. So, I guess that it would be more correct to answer, no, I do not own it, but I am the current user of it. Myself and my husband, at this time." She kept her body loose. This was just a man of the law, doing his job. No need to jump him. No need to remove him. He was not a threat, despite his body being tense, his voice being confrontational.

The man gave a short nod. "And where is your husband, Ma'am?"
"Inside." She shrugged. "Using the bathroom."

"Can you call him out here, please, Ma'am?" The trooper stopped, a good distance from her. Just out of arms length, but close enough that he wasn't forced to shout. She appreciated the self preservation, and even approved of his manner. Whatever he suspected them of doing, he was trying to be ready for the outcomes of their next step of the interaction. "I would just like to verify some things with the two of you."

"Of course. Give me a moment?" She paused. "Would you prefer me to go fully inside and retrieve him, or call to him from here?"

"Here, if you do not mind?" The trooper's hand tightened on his holstered gun, and Brooklyn had a moment of realization. If she went into the RV, she and whoever was inside, could come out and attack him. He was in a pretty indefensible position, and they were in a pretty abandoned area. He was at risk.
"No, I do not mind." She smiled, warmly. "Just... one moment."
Brooklyn turned, going back to the open door of the RV, leaning up into it.
"Steve! Can you get out here, please?" She shouted.

"Just a moment, Babydoll! I'm almost finished!" His muffled voice called back.

"Steve! Now!" She shouted back, now a little irritated with the idiot. "Jesus Christ! I thought you were supposed to be battle ready at a moment's fucking notice! Pinch it off!"

"Alright! Gimme a moment!" He shouted back, and she rolled her eyes, turning back to the trooper.
"He'll be just a moment." She told him, jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards the interior of the RV. "He is currently... to use a rude vernacular, he's taking a shit."

The trooper's face twitched, his mouth twitching, before it settled. "Thank you. Do you mind I ask some questions while we wait?"
"No. Of course not. Feel free." She shifted to lean against the side of the RV, before frowning at the dusty and dirty paint, sighing and giving up on it. Instead, she shifted to a more comfortable position, her arms folding.
"You said that this was rented by your adopted father?" His hand didn't lift from the holstered gun, but his hand was more relaxed.

"Yes." she nodded. She wanted to elaborate, but resisted. He wasn't asking for specifics, yet.

"And what is your destination?" The trooper shifted, and Brooklyn kept from mimicking him. Shifting by a figure of authority was used to make the person either being questioned or intimidated to shift as well, indicating that they were being cowed. Brooklyn was not, therefore she did not. This was a State Trooper. And honestly, Brooklyn was sure that if he decided to cause trouble, she would have been able to take him, easily.
But she didn't do that anymore.

Inside, she heard the flushing of the toilet, and rolled her eyes again. Steve was moving through the RV, now, pausing before continuing. If he was smart, he was checking the windows, and grabbing his wallet and possibly the information on the RV. That was standard practice, right? But, god love the man, she was going to wait to see if he did that.
"My husband is coming." she told the Trooper. "And we don't have a set destination. Not really. We're wandering, right now."

The trooper nodded. "Okay, here's the thing... you guys are parked on private property. I know the signs got moved, or pulled down, or something, but this is property of one of the pipeline companies. And with all the noise about the pipelines going in, we're on the lookout for people looking to do damage or disrupt the pipes. Not to mention, your RV is registered in New York, and the rental agency popped back the name Francis Marino. Now, I don't know who the hell you think you are... but....."
His voice trailed off, as his eyes drifted to above her head, and she stifled a sigh.

Steve's baritone confirmed her suspicions. "We're just traveling, Sir."

She moved, making it easier for him to come down out of the RV, and she felt his hand brush her shoulder. "Took you long enough. Thank god the Nazi's weren't attacking."

"Good thing." His amused voice told her, as he brushed past her, striding towards the trooper.

The trooper, who still had his hand on his holstered gun. The trooper, who backed up a step as Steve approached. The trooper, who's body stiffened, even as Steve extended a hand.
"Good morning!" Steve's voice was warm and inviting. "How can we help you, today?"

"I was just telling your wife that you are parked illegally." The trooper's voice was firm, but not demanding. Not yet. "Were you aware you had parked on private property?"

"No." Steve shook his head. His voice turned apologetic. "Sorry, we didn't see any signs. We got driving a little later than we wanted, and just tried to find a quiet place for the night. We're in the process of moving out of here. I have my license and the registration for the RV, as well as the registration for the bike. And...I have the rental agreement, too."
Steve offered the paperwork to the trooper, who was staring at Steve. Steve looked at him, and she saw his shoulders drop a little, before he tried to offer the paperwork again.

"I...." The trooper paused, before nodding, taking the paperwork. "I'm just going to run these. Please remain out of the vehicle, and where I can see you, please."

Steve nodded, stuffing his wallet in his back pocket, before coming over to stand with her, looping an arm over her shoulder. "So. This is currently happening."
"Yes." She agreed, leaning into him. "He's been polite. A little jumpy, considering the ruralness of the area in which he serves. I'm surprised by that."

"Well, maybe he's had a run in or two with some of those crazies who think they can over throw the government." Steve shrugged, rubbing her arm lightly. "Like we hear about in the news?"

Brooklyn hummed. She both wanted to comment, but didn't feel that commenting would add any insight into the current situation.
"The main thing is, we've done nothing wrong. Not really. I mean, we did park here overnight, illegally, apparently. But I didn't see any signs, coming here. So maybe he'll let us off with a warning?" Steve's voice was hopeful. "Really don't want to have to deal with a ticket, and all that."
"Well, I imagine it would ruin your perfect eighty year plus driving record." She hummed. "Although, maybe at your age, they'll take away your license?"

He snorted. "Very funny, Brooklyn. And you proposed to drive this monstrosity back to New York, if that is the case?"
"Well," She shrugged, "As you said, it's no different then driving a tank. I think I can manage."

"I feel the love." Was his dry reply.
She just leaned against him, watching the trooper work in his SUV. There wasn't anything they could do. The trooper would run Steve's information, it would come back squeaky clean, because... of course. It was Steve Idiot Asshole Rogers. The RV would come back rented to Pops. Nothing could be traced to her, really. And other than the fact that they had parked illegally for the night, they hadn't done anything wrong.
"We should think about making a stop." Steve sighed, still rubbing her arm. "We need to do laundry, and we should go through the groceries, and see what we need to replace. The milk for one. And you're getting low on creamer. Maybe some fresher produce."
"We can handle that." She agreed, nodding, before looking back at him. "Go to one of those laundromats that they always talk about. And the Walmart. Steve, I've never been in a Walmart."
"There isn't one in New York City." He reminded her. "So, I think I can say I've never been in one, either. Might be interesting. I've seen the commercials."
"Why are there commercials, if there isn't one in the City?" She asked, confused. "It doesn't make sense."

"I think there's one close?" He offered, shaking his head. "I know there's some in Jersey. We passed on on the highway, coming home from DC."
"Ew." She wrinkled her nose. "We're not going to be those people, right? Having to go to New Jersey to go shopping?"
"Nah." He frowned. "I mean, we... might have skipped the part of checking in to see what was around us, when we bought the house, besides the city center. But there's gotta be shopping available."
"Oh, God." She had a moment, one of those moments when she was reminded of how domesticated she had become. How used to creature comforts, and the little things that made life so much easier. Like... shopping. "We're gonna have be one of those families who does the whole 'weekly trip, once a month major shopping', aren't we? We're gonna... Oh, God."
She felt like she had been punched in the forehead.

"Babydoll, we already kind of do that." He reminded her gently. "Your grocery shopping lists, and us going to that Costco thing? That... is kind of that. This is just on a more organized scale. No more just 'popping out' because we forgot something. We're gonna have to really focus on making sure we buy what we need, during the week. But It's not a big deal. It'll be fine. It's just gonna take a bit of adjusting, that's all."
"Adjusting, and organizing." She snorted. "Yeah, that'll work for all of like... one week. Then the world will implode unless you're there to throw your magic Frisbee!"

She pushed away from him, pacing, her arms folded tightly.

"You're gonna try. Because... that's what you do. You try. And something will come up. And it'll be 'sorry Babydoll! Gotta go out with the team!', and I'm gonna have to explain it to Jules. And do the shopping. And the house work. And the gardening. And the child care. And the school shit. All by myself. Because...." She waved her hands around, before folding her arms again. "The world can't take care of itself, just so you can take the time to do the weekly shopping with me!"

She pointed at him.
"And you want to sign her up for Gymnastics, and ballet, and girl scouts, and leadership programs, and math tutors... and...."
He stepped forward, putting his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them.
"And I'm gonna be there. Okay?" He bent his head, kissing her forehead. "I'm gonna train up the team, make sure they're running right, then step back into the administrative role. I told you. I promise, a year... tops, before I'm stuck in an office all day, filling out forms, and making orders, and helping build the mission plans. That's all. We're gonna rock on for a year, and then we're gonna settle down and be boring as hell."
She snorted, and he grinned, ducking his head to kiss her, properly. She refused to let him derail her though, until... he did.

She was weak like that. He kissed her, or held her, and all she could feel was the overwhelming urge to melt into him. To let him shoulder every burden she carried. To hold her up, when the rest of the world seemed like it was cracking apart around her. It was a fundamental flaw in her makeup, she figured. No one else in her life had made her feel like this. No one had ever made her feel so safe, so protected, so loved, so cherished, as Steve Rogers did, when he held her.

And this time was no different.

A State Trooper was running his information, she was gearing up to have a fight with her husband, but none of that mattered, because Steve was kissing her.

He chuckled, pulling away, stroking his hands up and down her arms.
"Now, you need to settle, and listen to me. We have a plan. We're gonna stick to the plan. Yes, it might be a little difficult for a while. But after that, it's gonna even out, and I'm gonna be home, a lot more. I'm gonna be there, to help take care of things. And even if it wasn't gonna be like that, the Compound is only minutes away. Nothing says my wife and sister can't come have dinner with us, if we're on standby." He smiled at her. "In fact, I fully expect to have the two of you there, quite often. Tony is putting in a swimming pool. I know Jules was learning to swim, last summer. We can continue teaching her. Nat is gonna be thrilled about that. There's gonna be personal spaces. So, if I have an overnight, nothing says my girls can't come and crash with me."
She opened her mouth, about to blow his argument out of the water, when she paused, thinking.
Goddammit, she hated to admit it, but he was right. Now that she wasn't hiding so much anymore, since almost everyone on the new team had met her, or knew about her, there wasn't a reason why she couldn't come and see him, at the compound, on the days and nights when he had to be there. There was no reason why she and Jules couldn't be regular visitors. If, as Steve was hinting, the intention was for it to be a living Compound, and not just a base of operations, then having family come and visit, as well as occasionally stay over, would not be that big of a deal.

Jules would enjoy being able to have access to Nat and Wilson full time.
It would also be a huge step up from the Tower, which was the intention that Stark had, apparently.

Steve had said that Stark was stepping back, focusing on the personal relationship he had, as well as his company. Stark was also going to continue to be the public face of the Avengers, letting the others run the missions and do the training. Putting himself forward as the person to deal with the laws, and the politicians, and the public image. Being the one to go to the powers in charge, to smooth the issues with the operations over.

Another reason why Steve's proposal made sense, was that she wasn't hiding as much anymore. Nat knew about her, Wilson knew about her... She assumed the others did, considering Steve's marriage to her. She didn't know much about the Vision thing that had come about after the bullshit that happened with Sokovia, but Steve had said that JARVIS had basically been uploaded into a human shaped mechanical body, and JARVIS had known about her. He had made an offhand comment a month or so before the wedding about how Stark was building the Compound big enough to let what was left of SHIELD, the good parts of it anyway, to continue and have a base of operations. Which meant that Hill and Fury would no doubt be floating around, both of whom knew her.
So, why was she hiding? There was no call for it, anymore. Steve and she had bought a house less then ten minutes from the new Compound. They had gotten married. There would be a certain expectation that she and Juliana would visit him, and spend time with him there. There would also be the expectation that he go home as often as he could. If only to deal with things there. Chores, laundry... things like that.

It was a sensible plan. It made sense.

And fucking hell, she didn't want to tell Steve he was right. It would go right to his head, and then he'd start thinking he was the one with the great plans.

"We'll see." She allowed.
He grinned at her again, before going to kiss her, only to be interrupted by the opening of the SUV's door and the Trooper hauling himself out.
"So." The Trooper began, coming towards them, Steve's license and the paperwork in his hand. "This... is interesting. This says that you're Steve Rogers."
Steve rubbed her arm again, standing as straight as a regimental idiot could. She even swore he put his shoulders back, which she would admit did nice things to his chest, but still. He shifted his legs, planting his feet, and all he needed was that fucking stupid suit, and he would have been ready to give a lecture on the high morals of America, and how everyone should just shake it out, and get along.

"Yes, Sir." Steve nodded. "I am, indeed."
"You're Captain America." The trooper's voice wasn't so much telegraphing, rather than screaming with disbelief.
She snuck a quick look at Steve, noticing how the trooper could have problems believing he was who he said he was. Steve hadn't shaved yet, this morning, and the stubble along his cheeks and jaw were giving him a bit of a scruffy look. Not to mention he was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts, his feet shoved into untied sneakers, without socks. His tee shirt was wrinkled, and given the smell she'd gotten off of him, used. He hadn't had a shirt on when he went to the bathroom, so she could only assume he grabbed one from the laundry basket. Which no doubt prompted his request they do laundry.
Then there was the fact that who the hell would expect Captain America to be in an RV, in the middle of nowhere in Montana, having parked for the night illegally, while on honeymoon with his wife. Let alone in an RV rented by a suspected mobster. And she could only imagine how she looked. Her hair was still a mess from the shower they had shared, she wasn't dressed all that pretty, either. All in all, it was understandable how the trooper could have issues believing their story.

Steve simply nodded again. "Yes sir. Although, I'm on my honeymoon. So, not so much Captain, at the moment." He grinned down at Brooklyn, rubbing her arm some more. "Simply a husband, right now, to the beautiful Mrs. Rogers."

She resisted the urge to melt, when he was overly cheesy and perfect, and wonderful...and just... him.

The trooper heaved a sigh. "Here's the thing. You're expecting me to believe that you decided to take an RV, and travel from New York, to Montana, park illegally, and that... you are still claiming to be Steve Rogers. THE Steve Rogers."

Brooklyn stifled a giggle. She felt for both men. She really did. This was the benefit of being a ghost, she figured. No one had issues believing who she was. She wasn't famous, she wasn't important. She was simply... her.

"Sir?" She piped up, trying to figure this out. "I have... well, I think I have wedding pictures? If that helps? I don't have a copy of... Well, I don't know how to prove Steve is who is is, really."

She exchanged a look with Steve, reaching up to tap the base of her neck, trying to indicate to her husband that maybe she should show her collar, which might be proof. She wasn't sure how much, really. To them it was everything, her proof of his ownership of her. But to the rest of the world it was just a pretty piece of jewellery, and one that might come off as just that of a Captain America fan.
She frowned internally.

Ew.
The Trooper snorted. "Look, lady, if he pulls out that shield I might believe him."

Steve stiffened, before grinning. "Give me a moment."
He bent his head, kissing her cheek, before turning and jogging to the door of the RV.

"Sir!" The trooper called, his hand going to his gun belt. "Sir! I'm gonna have to ask you to not enter the vehicle!"
"Just a moment!" Steve called back, running up the stairs, dissapearing into the RV.
"Ma'am..." The trooper told her. "If he comes out with a weapon... this might go the wrong way."
"If it's going the way I think it is, he's still gonna be in trouble." She grumped. She knew what the idiot was doing. He still had that fucking shield in the RV, and he was getting it. He was going to pull it out, and show the trooper, and then the trooper was going to fall all over himself, fawning over Steve, and she was going to have to watch. And afterwards, she was going to kick his ass, for ignoring her wishes on keeping the fucking thing in the RV.

Sure enough, when he came down the stairs to the RV, he had that damned leather case in his hands, a grin on his stupid face.

"This." He told the trooper, grabbing the case with one hand, jerking open the zipper with the other. "This should help settle the question of my identity."
He worked open the case, reaching in before letting the leather fall to the ground. In the early morning light, the shield gleamed dully, even though the signs of battle on the paint had been buffed out since the last time he had carried it in defense of the innocent, she could still see the ghosts of the damage it had protected him from. For that, and that alone, she would be grateful for it. The rest of her feelings toward the symbol it represented were darker, and not above hatred. It still stuck in her craw that the shield had been in the RV the entire trip, despite her evicting it in Pennsylvania. Steve had simply brought it back inside, and put it away, informing her that he wanted it at hand in case it as needed.

She guessed now was one of those 'in case' situations.

The trooper stared at the shield for the longest time, before sighing, and relaxing.
"I'll be damned." He said, reaching up to pull of his hat, and rubbing his thinning gray hair. "You really are that Steve Rogers."

Steve nodded, going up to the man, holding the shield out. "You can hold it, if you want. Make sure it's the real deal. I wouldn't be offended if you felt the need to."

The trooper looked just this side of awed, as he took the shield from Steve, his arms dipping slightly as he took the weight. "It's... lighter than I had imagined it would be."
"Yeah." Steve nodded. "Vibranium. Half the weight of steel, with ten times the protection. And...."
Steve leaned over, whacking the shield with his hand, the ringing high pitched and loud.
"Distributes the hit across the entire surface, as opposed to in one contact point, and absorbs the shock. Which makes it ideal for the way I fight."
"And run head first into battle." Brooklyn groused, rubbing her wrist.

He grinned, looking abashed. "Yeah. That too. My poor wife. She worries about me, all the time."

"As she has a right to be." The trooper nodded. "Mine had the same issue, when I was in Iraq."
Steve seemed to brighten, and sadden at the same time. "Oh."

"Which engagement?" Brooklyn asked, taking another good look at the man. He might have been in the position to have been sent after the attack in New York, in twenty oh one. But he might have been better positioned, in the early nineties. "If you do not mind my asking?"

"Nah. I don't mind." The trooper smiled. "The First Gulf War. Desert Storm. Was sent over, after those bastards invaded Kuwait. Was already in duty, call came out, and off we went. Nothing like what you saw, Sir." He nodded at Steve, before handing the shield back, treating it gently. "Despite what that bastard Bush said about Saddam being the next Hitler."

Steve stared at him for a moment, before sighing. "I don't know why everyone uses that monster as a yardstick."
"Its like comparing people against Gandhi or Mother Theresa." The trooper said, shifting, before extending his hand. "And I apologize. State Trooper Bill Roskins, Sir."

Steve shifted his shield to one arm, extending his other hand, shaking Trooper Roskins'. "A pleasure."
"Sorry about rustling you guys." Roskins continued. "But the issue of people messing with the pipe lines is real."

"We understand, completely. And it really was as simple as we were just looking for a place to stay, for the night." Steve explained. "We drove over from Yellowstone, yesterday. Stopped over at Little Bighorn, also."

"Ah." Roskins nodded his head. "Touring the country? Seems a good idea for a honeymoon."

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "Brooklyn hasn't seen much of it. And I barely remember what I saw, decades ago. It's nice to just... take our time. See what there is to see."

"I grew up in a military family." Brooklyn supplied. "We moved around a lot. But, other than bases, never got to see much, really. So, the chance to tour the country, with my own personal guide? You bet I jumped on it."
She grinned, putting on the simple, innocent persona that men seemed to appreciate.

"I was wondering, when you asked which engagement." Roskins nodded. "Most people of your age just assume post nine eleven."

"Yeah." She nodded back. "My father was part of both."

His eyebrows shot up. "Both? Jesus, how young was he when he signed up? And a lifer?"
Brooklyn bit her lip. "I guess you could call him a lifer? He didn't really..."
"He was good at being in the military." Steve supplied. "So, he didn't get a chance to get out, until recently."
"Is that how... Wait, I thought your adopted father was that Marino guy?" Roskins asked, confusion on his face.
"My father left me in the care of the Marinos." Brooklyn stretched the truth. "He didn't feel he was able to be a proper father, at the time. And after getting out, he needed time to get his head back on. You know how that can happen, right? So, he asked the Marinos to take me in. And they did. One thing led to another, and... Pops is kinda my adopted father."

Roskins didn't look too comfortable, but he seemed willing to let it go. "Is that how you two met? Through your father? Or... through the Marinos?"
"Kind of both." Steve shrugged. "My wife was working at one of the Marino's clubs as a waitress. I went in, we got to talking, found out the connection to her father and the military, and... the rest, is... well..." He looked at Brooklyn, smiling at her, bringing his free hand up to brush her cheek gently. "Well, fate."
"I'm not gonna lie. I'm... still stunned that you're standing in front of me, Sir." Roskins shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. "I mean, honest to God."
"I'm just a man, on his honeymoon right now." Steve told him, firmly but kindly. "Not looking for any issues."

"Well...." Roskins sighed. "I am supposed to give you a ticket for the parking, at the very least. But... I guess since it's your honeymoon, and you were kind enough to let me hold your shield... I can let you go with a warning. As long as you get this rig moved in the next hour. If I swing back here, and it's still parked? Gonna have to write you up, Sir."
He held his hand out, almost apologetically.
"I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, of course." Steve nodded, taking the hand, shaking it. "I would never wish you to get in trouble with your superiors over me. We'll be out of here in the hour. We were gonna be moving on shortly, before you pulled up, anyhow. Just taking care of a last few details before we did."
Roskins nodded, before turning to look at Brooklyn. "Ma'am? May I offer my congratulations?"

"Of course." Brooklyn felt she could afford him a warm smile, a real one. "And thank you for your service. On both sides."

He grinned, before nodding again. "Well, you do right by the Captain, and everything will be just fine."

Brooklyn wasn't sure what he meant, but she nodded and smiled, anyhow. "I shall try my best."

He turned to Steve. "Before I go, I would really like to ask a huge favor. If you don't mind?"

"If I can." Steve allowed.

"Would you mind if we got a picture together? I mean.. the guys at the station are never gonna believe this, unless I have proof." Roskins sounded like an excited child.

She shifted to Steve's side, reaching out to run a hand down his arm. It was up to him. She wouldn't say anything, one way or the other. Steve turned his head, looking down at her, his jaw flexing for a moment, before sighing.
"Yeah. Yeah, that'll be fine." He plastered on his bright, winning smile. The smile he gave the public. Not the smile that he reserved for her, for their family, for their friends. "I just gotta ask... keep it of the internet and outta the media? We're trying to keep as low a profile as possible. I don't want our honeymoon to be fodder for the papers and news sites. We need this time, for us. You know how that is, right?"

"No. No, I understand!" Roskins assured. "Newly wed couple? Needs to get used to how things have changed, now they're married. I completely understand. Don't want the world to intrude. I remember that, when I got married to Gracie." A fond smile appeared on his face. "Don't think we barely left the hotel room, the entire two weeks. Only did, cause Gracie wanted to see Hawaii. Had to have pictures to show people."

"Yeah. Same thing." Steve seemed to be relieved that Roskins understood. "Plus, people don't... understand? How it is, sometimes. I don't belong to them. I belong to Brooklyn, my girl." He took her hand, bringing it up to kiss the back of it, his head turning, his smile for her and her alone. "And right now? All I wanna do is focus on her. Not on if people are gonna be coming up and giving us a hard time."

He frowned slightly, before looking at Roskins. "But only on one condition. We need to do laundry, and some shopping. You know where we can do both? Plus, Brooklyn wants to see a Walmart."

"A Walmart?" Roskins' eyebrows shot up. "Never seen a Walmart before?"
"They don't have them in New York. And, again, base living." Brooklyn shrugged. "I mean, I've been to a Target. That's where we did a lot of our shopping, other than the local businesses. But... I wanna see a Walmart."
"Well, if a Walmart is your thing, best keep heading southwest. You'll find one in Billings. And a laundromat." Roskins nodded. "And a few interesting things to see. A few nice museums. Nice places to eat. Things like that."

"That'll work." Steve nodded. "We've been trying to see things in each state. We'll add Billings to our next destination. So, pictures?"
She took the phone from Roskins, following his instructions about it, while the trooper eagerly positioned himself next to Steve, who was a good sport, putting on his public smile, holding up the shield. They shifted several times, while she took pictures, and after Roskins looked them over, he nodded to them, grinning.
"Thank you, so much for this. Really." He told them, looking at the pictures on his phone with a huge smile.

"Thank you." Steve grinned, offering his hand again. "And give us about an hour, and we'll be out of here."
"Please, if you don't mind. Really don't want to have to explain to my boss why I had to give Steve Rogers a ticket and possibly arrest him for trespassing." Roskins took his hand, giving it a firm shake, before grinning at both of them, tipping his at to Brooklyn. "Ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet Cap's wife."

"The pleasure was mine." She took his hand, giving it a shake. "And thank you for your service."

She tucked her hands back into the sleeves of her hoodie, but took the time to pull the zipper down a little, the heat of the day starting to build. She stopped, when Roskins looked at her hard.
"Huh." He grunted, before taking a deep breath. "Y'all have a nice vacation. Enjoy the trip."
He tipped his hat towards them again, making his way to his SUV. After climbing in, he settled a few things inside, before he began to back away, waving at them through a lowered window. Steve came over, waving at the trooper, before wrapping an arm around her.
"That could have gone worse." He commented, as they watched Roskins leave, in a small cloud of dust.
"Yeah." She agreed, before sighing. "Should have had Pops send us off with fake identities."
"No." He shook his head, before kissing hers. "No. I don't want anyone to assume that you are anyone other than who you are. Brooklyn Rogers. My wife. I don't want anyone to think you're not who you really are. Least of all, you."

She folded her arms, turning to look at him. "That sweet sentiment does not mean you are in deep shit with me."

"What?" He looked confused. "Why am I in trouble?"
She reached out, slapping the shield. "This. I told you I didn't want it inside the RV. And what did you do? You stored it in the RV."
"Aw, Brooklyn!" He whined slightly, tossing his head slightly. "It worked out, didn't it? I was able to prove to that trooper I was who I said I was."

"And you still could have done that, if you had placed it in one of the storage areas under the RV." She pointed out. "In fact it might have been easier. Roskins was not pleased you had gone into the RV. He had his hand on his weapon, Steve!"

"He wasn't gonna shoot me, Babydoll." Steve's voice was assured, and patient. And it infuriated her.

"You can't know that! He didn't know us! He didn't know if you were who you said you were! We are a couple of strangers, out in the middle of nowhere, camping illegally on private land!" She reached out, pushing on his chest. "We've heard the shit that goes on! And you think that you come off non threatening?"

He rocked back with her push, the way he always did, letting the force move him slightly, before coming back to where he stood. She kind of hated that. That he was both acknowledging her strength, but also refusing to be swayed by it. The overgrown blonde brawny beefcake.

"And he wasn't gonna shoot someone out here. Least of all someone parking illegally." He reached out, rubbing her shoulder with his free hand. "He might have, if I had come out with a weapon, yeah, but I didn't."

She hissed at him, pushing him again, before heading for the door of the RV. As she was about to go inside, she turned and pointed at him. "Put that recycled trash can lid in the storage compartment. Do NOT bring it inside this RV again. And hurry up! You told him an hour! Jesus!"

She didn't check to see if he followed her orders. If he cared about keeping what was left of the peace for the day, he would. She climbed the stairs, stalking over to the counter, picking up her coffee cup, taking a drink, only to groan as she swallowed the cold liquid. Goddamn the whole thing. Now her coffee was cold.
She dumped it in the sink, then sighed, reaching into one of the cupboards and pulling out one of the travel mugs there, making up what was left in the small pot in it, screwing on the lid and moving to place the mug in the cup holder near the seats up front. Then she went back and began storing things away, getting ready for them to move. She also wanted to change, but that could wait until they were on the road.

She tucked the coffee maker back in the cubby by the sink, checking the garbage can and seeing that it needed to be empty. She pulled the bag out, tying it off, then putting a new one in the can, shoving it back under the sink. She put the bag of garbage aside, then quickly washed the dishes in the sink, setting them in the rack to drain, then placing the rack in the sink. It wasn't the most secure, but given their time table for leaving, it was the best for the moment. She would take the time to make sure they were dry before she put them away while they were moving.

That task done, she scratched the back of her head, before moving to the bedroom. She began stripping the bed, rolling the bedding together, placing it by the doorway. She did a quick turn of the bedroom, looking for the odd piece of clothing-underwear and socks had a tendency to fall in places they shouldn't when she and Steve were deciding to have a sexual go at each other. Finding none, she went into the bathroom and grabbed the towels and wash clothes, placing them in the basket, before hauling that towards the doorway of the bedroom as well.

If they were going to be going to do laundry today, it was best to have it all ready. She hated having to chase things down, when she was getting ready to do laundry. At least she had Steve mostly trained in that regard. He tried to get his clothing into the basket, when he was done with it.

Steve climbed into the RV, heading for the bedroom, reaching down to pull his shirt off, making eye contact with her, as he dropped the shirt in the basket, before going over to the closet and opening the door, pulling out a clean shirt.
"Are you calm, now?" He asked, his voice neutral.

"I'm calm." she snorted. "I'm always calm. You're the only one who riles me up."

He grinned, putting on the clean shirt. "I'm glad to hear that."
Steve paused after pulling the shirt on, bending to kiss her. "We ready to move? I've pulled up the blocks from the wheels. And yes, I put the shield in the storage."

She snorted, before reaching up and patting his scruffy cheek. "Apparently if I yell at you enough, you actually listen."
"What can I say." He shrugged, kissing her again. "Sometimes I just need a little repetition to have something sink in."

She rubbed his cheek, before frowning. "Are you not going to shave?"
"No." He shook his head, pressing her hand to his cheek. "I was thinking about letting it go, for a while. See what it feels and looks like."

"Uh huh." she shrugged. "Okay. So you're actually doing this?"
"Well, yeah." He shrugged back. "I'm on vacation. Isn't that what men do? Forget to shave, and go scruffy?"

"I guess." She sighed, before shaking her head. "I've gotten the laundry almost all together. Do we have laundry soap?"
"I don't think so." He frowned, pulling away, to glance around. "Guess we're going to that Walmart first."

"Good timing." She commented, shifting past him to head back up towards the front of the RV, checking things were stowed properly. "Shall we?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "Gimme a moment, Babydoll. Then we'll get out of here."
She snorted again, before going all the way up to the front of the RV. She went down the first few steps, leaning over to pull the outer door shut and latching it, then going back up to the main level, pulling the passenger seat back into place. She went around the seat, making sure her messenger bag was where it was at hand, easy to grab.
"Steve? Can you grab my phone from the charger?" She called, as she adjusted the strap of her bag, so that it was over the edge of the seat, just in case.

"Yeah. Do you want your kindle, too?" He called back from the bedroom.

"If you wouldn't mind?" She settled herself into her seat, puling her legs up and situating herself on them for more comfort.

He shuffled around in the bedroom, letting out a sound similar to a groan, before he came forward, handing her the electronics.
"Anything else, before we go?" He asked happily, sliding into the driver's seat. "Just wanna make sure."
"I'll go change when we get on the road." She offered, hitting the button on the side of her phone and swiping to activate her screen. "I should change into better shorts and put on a bra, before we go in public."
"I don't mind." He grinned, putting the key in the ignition and hitting the button, starting the RV. He shifted in his seat, pulling the seat belt on, before putting the vehicle in reverse and checking his mirrors, slowly backing them up. "I mean, right now I don't mind."
"You'll mind when I wear a tank top with no bra in public." She commented. She had a few notifications. One from Kitty, asking a question about the color scheme of downstairs bathroom in the new house. Another was from Wilson, checking in. And a picture from Nat. She hit that one, and grinned.
It was from yesterday, apparently, and it had Nat in a bathing suit, sitting on the edge of the pool at the Marino's home, with Juliana sitting next to her, also in her bathing suit. She held off showing Steve, not wanting to distract him while he was getting them out of their illegal camping spot. She looked at her sister's smiling face, and smiled as well, before a pang of sadness hit her.

She missed her sister.

It wasn't a deep missing, like it was for their father. The kind that tore at her when she paused to examine it. It was a gentle throb. More like an extra pause in her heartbeat.

Having recently talked to her sister, she knew the little girl was doing okay, and was happy with her current situation. Juliana was having fun, with her current caregivers, and with the distractions they offered her. There was no reason for Brooklyn to have a concern about her, so she didn't allow herself any worry. They were still reachable by phone, if anything important came up, or an emergency happened.

She set her phone down on her lap, watching as Steve successfully backed them up, then began turning them around, heading back the way they had come the night before.

"Maybe I should be looking into places we can stay overnight, without issue." She offered, as he got them headed back towards the freeway. "Just to keep what happened this morning from happening again."

"Might be a good idea." Steve agreed, reaching for his sunglasses. "Not that I don't mind meeting new people, but being told by my wife to cut off my morning shit is not how I want to do it."
she laughed. "I knew you were going to bring that up!"

"Well?" He laughed, shaking his head. "It wasn't something that I felt needed to be broadcast to a stranger. There I was, just enjoying my morning bowel movement, peaceful, relaxed, and then my wife screams at me to 'pinch it off'."

"There was a State Trooper!" She continued to laugh. "What did you expect me to do? He's saying, you guys are parked illegally, and I'm supposed to say, oh, I'm so sorry! My husband is taking a shit, can you pause this for another ten minutes until he's done? Thanks!"

Steve continued to laugh. "Well, maybe more of the 'hey, Steve! There's a Trooper here who wants to take to us.' Instead of having his first impression of me being a hen pecked new husband who has to be told to get off the pot."

She shook her head, her laughter easing off. "That really upset you? Honestly? I thought you didn't care what people thought of you?"
"I don't." He nodded firmly, an embarrassed smile on his face, before sighing. "It just means I gotta pull over somewhere, and finish the job."

Brooklyn blinked at him, as what he was saying sank in, before she started laughing again. "Oh. OOoooh!"

He nodded again, a chuckle leaving him, reaching up to adjust his sunglasses. "Yeah, oh. So, after that... Billings, right?"
"Billings." She grinned, shifting to sit in her seat more comfortably. "Walmart, and laundry."
"Glad we have that hashed out." He pulled onto the on ramp, speeding up to merge with traffic. Not that there was a whole lot, really. "Might as well check your lists, too. See what there's to eat when we get there."
"I'll find us a place." She assured him. "Somewhere new, or local."
"And this is why you're the brains of the operation, Babydoll." He assured her. "Cause you know what we're doing. I'm just the driver, and along for the ride."
He grinned at her, reaching out and taking her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"And I can also say, there is no where I would rather be, than camping illegally for the night, with you."

A/n: I know i've been a little behind. I'm hoping to catch up, now that Brooklyn has let me know a little bit more about what she wants from this trip. Hopefully that means i'll get the chapters out faster. The invitation to have them go places that you think they should is still open. Even if it's as simple as a diner in the middle of nowhere. Let me know! After Billings, they're heading for the PacNW, which is my stomping grounds, and honestly? I can't wait!