A/N: This is a part of the "I'm 95, I'm Not Dead" series that starts with "Too Busy," then continues in "From Where You Are" and "Safe and Sound." This is a prequel, going back to how Steve and Maria, in this particular version of them, got to know each other and started dating. For the time being it is rated T, not sure if it will change to an M rating towards the end, but if you read Too Busy you will understand why. Stories are MCU compliant, until the next movie comes out and ruins it all. ;D

This story started out as too many of my stories seem to, as a short one. I had planned one chapter for Steve's thoughts, and one for Maria's thoughts, but they just kept on thinking and the first chapter ended up at about 7500 words. After I edit it, I expect that length will increase. I have broken it up into somewhat bite-sized pieces because, at least for some of the sections, that's just where the story broke the easiest. The first several chapters will be Steve's POV and occur in one 24-hr period, the second part of the story will be from Maria's POV and will tell the rest of the story over the following six months. I normally split up stories like this into two separate ones, but it would kill the continuity, I think, if I did it for this one.

Title is from "All of Me" by John Legend. This is the song that most of all makes me think of Steve's feeling for Maria. :)

I hope you enjoy this. Please R&R.

Steve had gone looking for the commander and now he wondered if that had been such a good idea. He found her inside an empty office on one of the the upper levels of the Triskelion. The late afternoon sun was behind the building but afforded enough light to reveal to Steve how Hill's stiff countenance conformed to the straight lines of the empty room as she stared out across the Potomac. He'd seen her come here before, though he was certain she had no idea of his knowledge of her movements. Now he wondered if it had been prudent to interrupt her solitude for no better reason than today he was impatient to get out of the office and needed to hand her his report before he left.

The op he'd been on had gone horribly wrong. Steve knew without a doubt that if not for his presence, not one of the operatives would have made it out alive. As it was they had lost three, an extra-ordinary amount for a peace-time excursion in his opinion. He hadn't been expecting it at all, and the woman before him now was the reason for his confidence.

Maria Hill, deputy director of SHIELD, and Nick Fury's right hand, was meticulous about her intel. Every op he had worked under her was perfectly timed, and there had never been any room for error. She was a perfectionist who painstakingly sifted through every piece of data as she formed a coherent picture of what they could expect. While each op he was sent on was serious, Steve knew that the ones Maria planned and oversaw were as important as any Fury ever sent him on, and usually far less questionable.

"Do you need something, Captain?" she asked without turning away from the window.

Steve swallowed down his sudden nerves.

"Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry to intrude, but I wanted to hand you my report before I left," he said.

She slowly turned to him and when she did he saw the barest smile on her face. It changed everything about her. She was always beautiful, a fella would have to be blind not to see it, Steve thought, but this slight, almost imperceptible, upturn of her lips, softened all the usually hard features, causing her look as if she could be the model for an ancient Greek sculptor.

Lieutenant Hill held out her hand for the report and cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at him. Steve realized he should have already had the file out for her, instead he had been caught staring. He blushed slightly as he handed over the manila file folder that contained his report. The commander surprised him by opening it and beginning to read immediately. Under normal circumstances she would accept it or direct him to leave it on her desk before she returned to the work on her computer or spoke on the phone, hardly giving him a glance, then wave him off.

Steve waited and studied her while she read. He could see when she reached his recounting the first death. It was a subtle change, another person might not have seen it; a minor shift in her stance; the way she swallowed slowly as her throat constricted; the quick triple blink of her eyes as if she was trying to blink out a piece of dust; the one slow breath she took before she continued on to the rest of the report. When she finished her reading she looked up at him.

"Very good, Captain," she said. "Thank you for being so timely in these matters. Have a good evening."

Her face had regained its normal hard edges as she nodded curtly to him. He supposed it was more than he deserved after he'd interrupted her in her solitude.

He took the lift down to the locker room where he found Rumlow and a few of the others dressing and discussing plans for a night of hitting the local bars and clubs to drink off the op. He thanked them but declined their offer to join them as he explained he had already made plans for this evening long before the op. It was certainly true, though he felt his chest tighten at the thought that the person with whom he had made the "plans" wouldn't truly notice that he wasn't there. It would make no never mind to her if he visited this night or the next. It would be all the same. He took a deep breath as he shoved his coat into his duffle bag and mentally prepared himself for another conversation with Peggy. Damn, Alzheimer's was a bitch as the modern phrase went.

Steve pulled himself from his reverie at the mention of Commander Hill.

"Damn, did you see her?" One of the men asked.

"That woman has no feelings, I swear, if you shot her dog right in front of her she wouldn't flinch." Another chimed.

"I heard her dog ran away from her because she was so fucking cold." Someone else said and the men shared a laugh.

Steve stared at them for a moment and weighed the situation. He knew the men felt justified "letting off steam" in this manner, and over the year since he'd signed on with SHIELD he'd heard all the stories and snide remarks about Hill; "Ice Queen," "Agent Chill," to name a few. He'd stopped people from speaking poorly of the superior officers often enough that it was rare for anyone to speak so brashly about Hill or Fury or any of the others in such a manner in his presence.

"I don't think this is an appropriate conversation, gentlemen." He used the term sarcastically and hoped they understood exactly what he was saying.

"Come on, Cap." Rumlow groused. "We lost three good men and the bitch didn't even act as if she noticed, let alone gave a damn. If I was the conspiratorial type, I'd say she…"

But Rumlow never got the chance to share his full thought. Steve took a guess at what the man was about to say and before Rumlow could get the words out, Steve threw him up against the lockers and pinned him against them, elbow pressed against Rumlow's throat.

"What the hell, Rogers?" A few of the men yelled.

"If I hear anything even remotely close to what you were about to say, I will come for you personally, got it?" Steve growled, his face only far enough away from Rumlow's to see his eyes and ensure the man truly understood him.

When Rumlow hesitated, Steve pressed his elbow a little harder against the man's Adam's apple and Rumlow let out a small, strangled noise before he finally nodded his consent. Steve dropped him and glared for a moment before turning his hard gaze to the others until he had stared down each of them. Then he grabbed up his bag, slammed his locker door and headed out of the room.

Steve returned to the lift and, when he entered, hit the button for the parking garage more forcefully than necessary. While he understood the frustration and anger when a fellow soldier fell in battle, he wondered if the men wouldn't have reacted differently if anyone other than Hill had been in charge.

The doors slid open and Steve walked to his motorbike, taking deep breaths of stale air as he did so. It wouldn't do to show up at Peggy's this angry. He stowed his bag when he reached the bike and threw his leg over the seat. He was about to key the engine when he glanced over to Hill's parking space. He was surprised to see her already in her car and apparently leaving for the day. Hill was a notorious workaholic who rarely left the office before dinner.

She was looking down; from the light glowing on her face, he presumed she was staring at her phone or iPad. She didn't notice him at all. After a moment, she set her device aside and leaned forward to start her car. Steve could clearly see her face in the bright florescent light and for a brief few seconds he had a glimpse of her emotions, so deep and raw he thought she would surely break down. Instead she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, the look was gone and she appeared the part which everyone had stereotyped her. She put her car into gear and pulled out of the parking space. She drove away, the opposite direction from where he sat motionless on the bike. He hoped she had remained unaware of his presence. He'd hate to have her realize he'd intruded on her privacy twice this day.

A/N: I'm not entirely sure how many chapters this will be. It really depends on how I think the story is best separated since I originally wrote it as only two chapters. :)

In regards to my WiPs, which were all pretty much lost back in October, I am about ready to attempt to tackle the HIMYM chapters, but the Fallout story is giving me grief. I thought the latter would be the easiest because it's my normal style of writing (ie angst-filled) but my mind is having trouble getting back to the place to write it. I'm an "emotional" writer, or what is known as a "pantser," which means I just write and it all flows, usually from whatever emotion I'm experiencing at the time. I think I will try story mapping since I know where it was going and everything that was going to happen, then see how it goes. It's just really difficult to rewrite all those works, especially knowing it doesn't end there because I had another story in my "Shape of Us" series that I lost as well. :/

In other news, I've lost all my afternoon writing time for pretty much forever, that will cause a delay in chapters as well. I do have two weeks off with the kids over Christmas, but after that, well, life is going to get hairy for a while. :( I am encouraged, though, because there are so many new stories, and even some authors, that I still need to go through from November. Yay, Captain Hill shippers. :) And, finally, speaking of Captain Hill shippers, there is now a Captain Hill tea at Adagio Teas, created by "soufflesimmons." I received my first box yesterday and it is very pleasant. I seem to have lost my diffuser somewhere (it's probably in the toy chest) so I need a new one to make it properly, but it came out very good. I do recommend it if you like a nice cup of tea. :)