The next morning I awake with the distinct impression that I've done something I shouldn't have. I blink blearily a couple of times before a hard-faced Steve comes into focus. I instinctually scoot back.
Angry Steve is scary Steve.
He's in the chair by my bed, arms crossed. Who knows how long he's been sitting there, waiting for me to wake up. Steve doesn't say anything; he just sits there looking too upset to talk.
I scramble the fighter jets of my memory, desperately trying to think of why he's mad. Clearly, I don't operate at peak efficiency first thing in the morning. They land on something and I speak before I can stop myself.
"Did James tell you about the 'My Little Pony' magnets?"
His unyielding expression is a resounding non-answer.
Steve's never been mad at me before.
My only other secret is something I'd hoped he wouldn't find out. But I never thought it'd make him mad to find out that I was in love with him. Upset that I kept my true feelings to myself or that he'd have to let me down and that our friendship would change, sure, but not angry.
Like a child, my eyes start watering.
"Steve, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know you'd be angry with me. What can I do?" I plead pathetically. I need my best friend.
His expression softens as he takes in the tears pooling in my eyes and my distraught state. "Anne, you lied to me- to the team. I'm upset that you'd keep it from me, but of course I'm not mad at you, not really." He takes my hand. "After what you said last night, I had Tony show me the tape. It's not your fault, Anne. But why would you hide this?"
Of course it isn't 'my fault', but, geez Steve, arrogant much? And what did I say that would make Steve ask Tony for a tape of me confessing to James of my love for Steve?
Wait...
"Just so we're on the same page, what exactly did Tony show you?"
Steve furrows his brow, probably wondering how many secrets I'm keeping from him. "What Fuller did to you. I'd thought he left you alone after hurting you in the beginning...I didn't- we didn't know that he, he tortured you."
I breathe a breath of relief that one secret is safe and my stomach falls at the revelation of another. "I thought it would be better this way."
"Anne," he tightens his grip on my hand and leans closer. "You were tortured because of your relationship with us. We need to know that to protect you better. I-I'm so sorry this happened to you, Anne." He looks earnestly into my eyes. "We can move you out of state, somewhere away from me- from us, if that's, if that's what you want."
I shake my head. "You're such an idiot. Of course that isn't what I want. I love you- guys, you blockhead."
Steve relaxes his shoulders, looking relieved but still concerned. "Okay. Okay, we'll figure something else out."
"Good. Because there's no way I'm leaving the future of your pop culture education in Tony's hands. He'd probably just show you things like 'Fifty Shades of Grey' or the 'Saw' series just to mess with you while leaving out the important stuff like 'Buffy'. Which we're starting soon, by the way. Clear your calendar, it's a seven season show." I pause to breathe a little heavily. "Shortness of breath isn't good for someone who rambles."
He smiles a little at this, but quickly turns serious again. "Fury wants to meet with you."
"What? Why?" I know enough about Director Fury to understand that he doesn't just do meet-n-greets with the general populous. Also, he sounds scary.
"He said there's a couple of gaps in the security footage that he wants to discuss with you."
"I didn't tell Bill anything. I mean, I talkedâ a lot âbut I didn't say anything important. So, like normal for me."
Steve remains morose. "He's been wanting to get a feel for you ever since he found out you spend time in the Tower with us. After what happened with Fuller, he's made it a priority."
I feel sick. "So it'll be like meeting the overprotective parent of a guy I've been dating, if said parent also happened to bear a great resemblance to Jason Bourne except grumpier and more skeptical of niceness?"
Steve nods.
Very encouraging.
"But I'll be with you. Bucky would come too, but Fury doesn't quite trust him enough to let him in to SHIELD headquarters just yet."
"SHIELD headquarters?" My eyes bulge. And if he doesn't trust James, there's no way he's going to like me. At least James has the titles 'Best friend of Steve Rogers' and 'Current Avenger(ish)' on his resume.
"I'll be with you the entire time," Steve promises steadily.
I've seen too many movies to put much stock in that holding true; something will come up. All the same, it does make me feel a little better. Besides, I know this is important and it's not like I have anything to hide, right? Right.
"Now," he leans back and crosses his arms again, "what was that about 'My Little Pony' magnets?"
âoâ
Steve wasn't exaggerating when he said that this was a priority for Director Fury. We left that morning to meet with him in the DC area â after I had a shower. Well, a sponge bath (which is completely not the same thing as a shower, in case you're wondering) and a nice nurse washed my hair for me.
Since I wouldn't do well in a car for half of the day, Tony was kind enough to lend us a jet and a pilot â another reminder that he's absurdly wealthy â this also cut down our travel time to about an hour each way. I appreciated the limited time this gave me to freak out before the meeting.
Once we land and disembark from the plane, we're escorted into a black SUV. Super original, guys. Steve pushes my wheelchair for me to the SUV. It'll be a while before I can push myself, what with the broken fingers and arm. We drive for about half an hour before coming to a vaguely cylindrical building on the Potomac River.
We park in a massive garage and once I'm in my wheelchair we're off again. We take so many turns that I couldn't tell you where we end up, only that I think we're very far underground. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic at all.
*Laughs uncomfortably*
Agent Bubbles â not his real name, he just reminds me an awful lot of the social worker in 'Lilo & Stitch' â finally opens one last door for us. The room is empty and it looks a lot more like an interrogation room than an office. A glance back at Steve shows that he's thinking something similar and he seems a bit miffed about it.
He sits down in a sleek, padded chair next to me. I stay in the wheelchair because I stupidly feel more at ease with the illusion of having some mobility.
We're alone for a while. Fury's probably doing that power move thing of making us wait for him to arrive. No idea why. I already know he's got a ton more power than me. Seems a bit redundant.
"So, I'm guessing I shouldn't make any pirate jokes?" Tony had playfully mentioned something about SHIELD making upgrades to all their displays so they would be right eye dominant because of Fury's eye-patch.
Steve cracks a smile. "Probably best to avoid the subject as a whole."
"But I have a lot of feelings about Davy Jones, and Black Beard, and the Dread Pirate Roberts. I can't just keep those bottled up â that's unhealthy, you know."
"Now where would you pick up such a foreign notion?" he teases.
I shrug. "From a couple of bozos I let hang out with me on occasion â like charity work. I'm all about giving back."
Steve narrows his eyes. "How noble."
"Thanks for noticing." I bat my eyelashes.
Finally, the door opens. Fury is even scarier than I pictured. He dresses like he's from a noir version of 'The Matrix', and he wears a well-practiced mask of no emotion.
Steve stands and shakes his hand, 'cause he's a gentleman. I stay sitting to shake his hand, for obvious reasons.
As Fury- Mr. Fury? -sits in the chair across the table from Steve and me, he says, "Miss Johnson. It's good to finally talk with you."
Is it?
I just give him a tight smile since I can't reciprocate his sentiment.
He leans forward to rest his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together. "Now, I heard what happened to you and I'm sorry it did, but my concern is for the security of my team."
I nod. So far this is going as expected â no small talk, straight to the point. Keep this up and I can be back to the Tower in time to rewatch 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' with a pint of cookie dough ice cream and caramel sauce before bedtime.
Don't judge me, I'm healing.
He swipes his hand across the table and a holographic screen pops up. It's pretty similar to some things I've seen of Tony's, but less elegant. Fury opens a digital file and the paused beginning of a video is displayed.
Steve puts his hand on my knee, careful not to touch the bandage. I'm glad for it. I know I'll need whatever strength Steve can give me to not start crying. I freaking hate crying.
Fury glances to me and I nod that I'm ready.
As ready as I can be, at least.
-------------------------------------------------------------
A/N:Â Hey, look! Another completely unrelated gif of Cap being a cutie pie at the start of this chapter. That's nice.
I imagine that that's the reaction he has to most of what Anne says.
Hey, look! A Nick Fury cameo. That's nice.
For those of you wondering about Fury still being the director of SHIELD and SHIELD itself still being a big organization in this story, it's because I'm lazy and choosing to pretend that they weren't completely disbanded in CATWS because it's easier for me this way.
Anyway, I can't seem to not post chapters... hopefully I'll write a bunch tomorrow to stay ahead... yeah, I'm not confident in that outcome.
But all it takes is faith and trust. And something I forgot: dust!
Dust?
Yep, just a little bit of pixie dust. Now, think of the happiest things. It's the same as having wings!
...I swear I'm not high... just sleep-deprived...same thing? Same thing.