31 Plays in 31 Days, #15 - “Found Out”

[breakinglight11]

Another piece from the eventual timeline of my ”Forever Captain” Captain America fanfic. It builds upon the scene from Day #6 - History Book.

As I said, I’m not sure I’d actually like to go with this way of Steve’s kids finding out who he is, but it’s good enough to experiment with for now. The more important thing to work out is how they react. I want his daughter and son to respond differently, and hopefully both in interesting ways. Another complicating factor is that I imagine his daughter, Elizabeth, has inherited some of his super soldier qualities, while his son, Jamie, is more a normal human. That is yet to be figured out for them at this point, but I want to lay foundations that make sense.



Day #15 - Found Out
15. Found Out
From Forever Captain
By Phoebe Roberts

Schenectady, New York, 1968

GRANT CARTER, formerly Captain America, now retired to the midcentury, 61
ELIZABETH CARTER, Grant and Peggy Carter’s daughter, 18
JAMIE CARTER, Grant and Peggy Carter’s son, 15
~~~

(Alone in his bedroom, JAMIE pours over the history book with the pictures of Captain America. There’s a knock at the door, and he jumps to close the book.)

JAMIE: What? What is it?

(His father GRANT pokes in his head.)

GRANT: Jamie?

JAMIE: Huh? What?

GRANT: Dinner. Didn’t you hear me?

JAMIE: Yeah. I was just… doing homework.

GRANT: Copy that. You seen Beth anywhere?

JAMIE: Uh, no.

GRANT: She did come home, didn’t she?

JAMIE: I don’t know, okay?

GRANT: You okay, buddy? You seem a little off.

JAMIE: Don’t worry about it.

GRANT: Well. If you’re sure. And let me know if you see—

(ELIZABETH hurries past him down the hall.)

GRANT: Beth? Where you been?

ELIZABETH: Told you, I was going to Sheena’s last night.

GRANT: Yeah, I just thought you’d be home after school today.

ELIZABETH: I had track.

GRANT: There’s no track on Thursday.

ELIZABETH: What are you, a cop?

GRANT: Just wondering if you were okay. Call me crazy, but it doesn’t seem like it. Guess it’s going around.

JAMIE: Lay the hell off, okay?

GRANT: Hey. Watch it, mister.

(ELIZABETH salutes him mockingly.)

ELIZABETH: Sir, yes, sir!

GRANT: Good lord. What’s gotten into you?

ELIZABETH: Is that an order? ‘Cause you’re no cop. You’re a soldier, aren’t you?

GRANT: What’s going on, Beth?

ELIZABETH: Why don’t you tell me?

GRANT: If you’re upset about something, I’d like you to talk to me about it. Instead of taking shots.

ELIZABETH: Yeah? You sure you want to talk about this? Because you haven’t for the last eighteen years.

JAMIE: Come on, Beth—

GRANT: I think you better fill me in on what’s on your mind. Because I’m not following you.

(ELIZABETH seethes a moment, then pushes past GRANT to yank the book out of JAMIE’s hands.)

JAMIE: Hey!

ELIZABETH: You want to know, Dad? Well, why don’t you answer me this.

(She throws open the book to the army portrait. GRANT looks and becomes quiet and still.)

ELIZABETH: Recognize that guy?

GRANT: You mean Captain America.

ELIZABETH: ‘Cause we recognize him. He looks like somebody we know. Just like him. Why is that?

(Pause as GRANT sits on the edge of JAMIE’s bed.)

GRANT: I always wondered how it would happen. What it would be like. Would you believe I even thought this might be the way?

JAMIE: What? What do you mean?

GRANT: I wish I’d been the one to tell you first.

JAMIE: Jesus Christ. You’re not— you don’t mean you’re—

GRANT: It’s a very long story.

ELIZABETH: Then I think you’d better start talking.