Here I go again;
I hear those trumpets blow again;
All aglow again - taking a chance on love.
Here I slide again;
About to take that ride again.;
Starry eyed again - taking a chance on love.
Taking A Chance on Love by Benny Goodman and Lisa Morrow
Adjusting
It didn't take long for Steve to realize just how much things had changed since he left.
The city was suddenly teeming with people trying to be heroes. And while Steve thought it was good that people were taking an interest in fighting crime, he knew they were going about it the wrong way. The NYPD was constantly railing against the rise in vigilantism, they weren't listening.
One night, Steve caught a news special on television where they managed to get a couple of these would-be heroes on screen. "We're just trying to take back our streets, like Iron Man and Captain America!" one girl with bright pink hair and a black band across her face with eyeholes cut out said. He'd smirked and flipped the channel.
You couldn't walk around Manhattan without seeing ongoing repairs. Scaffolding was set up against blocks of buildings, and the construction industry boomed. Of course, Stark Tower had been repaired right away, but in the rest of the city it was slow work.
Sidewalk corners that had been cluttered with memorials were cleared and the items collected and catalogued by city. Months ago they had announce a plan to create a permanent memorial site to remember all of those who died – though little progress had been made towards it. The graffiti, though, remained. Steve found himself slowing down to look at the street art, recognizing the homage's to his team. It made him incredibly happy that the NYPD and FDNY were represented as well.
The best part, though, was that no one knew who he was.
No one knew who Captain America was.
OOO
Em and Steve had spent that first weekend together, talking about what had happened between them. She'd propped herself up on an elbow, hair falling in her face, while he told her about his road trip. He'd brushed away her tears as she talked about cleaning out Garrett's apartment and going to see his parents.
And they'd yelled. They'd fought about why he left. He finally got angry with her for what happened with Garrett. She screamed about how he treated her like an incompetent fool.
And then they made up, and Steve found out how great make up sex could be.
On Sunday night, after they'd taken another shower, Emily stole one of his shirts and retrieved her bra from the living room. As she slid the shirt on, Em turning her neck to examine the love bites he'd left as she did up the buttons. "I look like a horny teenager," she smirked. Steve, a towel wrapped around his hips, laughed and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest.
"There's worse things," he chuckled, nosing the material away so that he could kiss her throat.
"I'm sure that's going to gain the respect of my students. Ah!" she laughed, slapping his hand away as he started to unbutton the shirt.
"Huh?" Steve hummed against her skin.
"We can't. I've got to go home."
"Why?"
"I have this thing called work in the morning. And," she bit her lip against a moan as one hand travelled lower and the other cupped her breast, "and I've got to prep for classes."
"Do it in the morning."
"Class at 9:00."
"Later."
"Steve," she said, her voice firm as she met his gaze in the mirror.
"Okay," he huffed before taking a step back. "Okay, but can I…?" Em turned around, the corner of her mouth quirking up. Standing on her toes, she cupped his face and kissed him.
"I've got a department meeting at 8:00, so I'm out the door at 6:30."
"So that's a no."
"That's a 'not on Sunday'."
OOO
On Monday, Emily texted him to say that she was staying late to help one of her grad students.
On Tuesday, she didn't return his text until after 9:00 with the apology that she'd been at the gym.
On Wednesday, she had a late class.
On Thursday, Em turned down his dinner plans because she was taking a dance class.
So on Friday, Steve found himself sitting in the hallway with his back against her door, cooling Chinese food beside him. He swung his head to look at the elevator as the doors open, and Em stepped out, a bag strapped across her chest and rolling another behind her. Her eyes were shut as she yawned, and when they opened, she gave him a tired smile as he stood.
"Hey," she said while rummaging in her purse. "Didn't know you were coming over." Em tilted her head up to kiss him, and Steve obliged.
"Well, I thought we could have some dinner and catch up since we haven't talked all week." While he tried to keep his tone light, she still frowned.
"Sorry, it's been kind of hectic." Em unlocked the door and stepped into her apartment, heading straight for her office while Steve deposited the food in the kitchen. As she put away her bags and tossed her shoes and purse into the bedroom, he grabbed plates and silverware. At least that hadn't changed in the months since he'd been here.
"Hectic?" Steve prompted, frowning down at near cold dinner he'd bought an hour before.
"Yeah," she nodded, nabbing a piece of sweet and sour chicken; she frowned slightly and grabbed the container before popping in into the microwave. "One of my grad students is thinking about dropping out of the program so I've been talking that over with him. And then I called Dr. Peña this afternoon to see if I could come in for a session after my last class – "
"Dr. Peña?"
"She's," Emily stopped scooping rice onto her plate and frowned, "I didn't tell you about Dr. Peña?"
"No."
"Oh," she said, turning to get the food from the microwave as the timer went off. "She's the therapist I've been seeing. Carter got S.H.I.E.L.D. to clear me going to see her – "
"You're going to therapy?"
"Well, yeah," she shrugged, handing him the box of rice. "With everything that happened I kind of needed someone to talk to. And I can't exactly go to a civilian therapist and talk about how my boyfriend saves the world."
"Why'd you need to go today? If it wasn't a normal appointment?"
"Rough night, and I kind of wanted to talk to someone about it." Steve picked up his plate and walked over to the couch since she didn't have a dining room table.
"You could have called me."
"Hey," Em said, grabbing her plate as well and following him. She set it on the coffee table and perched on the couch's arm, putting a hand on his shoulder. Steve didn't meet her gaze as he pushed his food around with his fork. "Hey," she said more insistently, running her hand through his hair and turning his face so he looked at her. "I appreciate you wanting to help me, but I handled it. I'm okay."
"You always handle it on your own?" he asked.
"No," she replied after a moment. "Carter's been staying over and he usually helps me through it."
"Sweetheart," he groaned. "I – "
"Listen," Emily ordered, looking at him over the rim of her glasses. "This is something that I need to learn to handle on my own, just like you did. So you not hovering is for the best. This isn't me pushing you away or anything, it's just me taking care of myself. Got it?"
"I just – "
"Got it?"
"Got it," Steve repeated.
"Good," she smiled, leaning down to kiss him. "I love you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Yeah, I know. I love you too."
"Good. Now," Em said, retrieving her plate and turning so that she faced him. "Tell me about your week."
"Not much to say," he shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as she tucked her feet under his thigh. It didn't take long for them to cover his wanderings around the Tower and city, gym sessions, and unpacking. So he turned the question back on her and listened to her rambling about her students and fellow faculty members.
"Hey," Emily said later when they were curled up on the couch; she was half lying on top of him with her head on his chest.
"Yeah?" Steve asked as he continued to stroke her hair.
"You should to go talk to S.H.I.E.L.D. on Monday."
"Huh?" With a soft sigh, Em propped her chin on his chest and gave him a small smile.
"You should. You're miserable."
"No I'm not," he countered, his left hand sliding from her hair down to the small of her back.
"Steve, you're a man of action, and not doing anything is killing you. You can't tell me you're happy just wandering around aimlessly."
"Well," he said, his right hand, which had been wrapped around her thigh, shooting up to smooth down his hair. "I was thinking that I would…uh…that I could…" he trailed off when she raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go back to them?"
"I want you to do what makes you happy."
"Even after everything they did to you?"
"That's for me to deal with."
"No – "
"Yes, it's – "
"No, Emily, it's not something for you to deal with," Steve said, his voice firm. He saw her eyebrow twitch as though she was going to challenge him on it. "It not just your problem. If I go back to them, I'm not going to be able to keep you separated from it all. I won't be able to keep my life with you from blurring with my job at S.H.I.E.L.D., so you'll be involved with them because of me."
"Is this a thing about you keeping me safe again? Because I think I've proven that I –"
"This is me deciding if I trust them, especially given how much they've lied to you." Emily's eyes darted over his face before biting her lip and nodding.
"Okay. Just…just don't make the decision because of me, okay? I don't want to be the reason you're unhappy." Shaking his head, Steve reached down and wrapped his hand around her thigh again and pulled so that she was straddling his hips before he cradled her face.
"You, Emily Rose, are the reason I am happy."
"Yeah?" she smiled as he pushed her hair behind her ears.
"Yeah," he said before pulling her down for a kiss.
"Sap," she teased.
OOO
After some discussion, Em and Steve decided not to drive to Vermont for Thanksgiving. She had work that needed to be caught up on, and Steve was ready to relax after driving around the country.
Not to mention it would be a bit awkward being around the Harthorns when they hadn't quite forgiven Steve.
They'd counted on spending the day at home and just making a small meal until Emily had let the new plans slip to her colleague. Dr. Alice Martin had been adamant that they join the small party that she was having at her home.
Steve had done well mingling with her co-workers, and she'd taken some gentle teasing for dating someone named Steve Rogers.
But when they'd gotten home to his apartment that night, he'd admitted to being exhausted and having to channel his USO persona quite a few times.
OOO
Steve leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. There were a few people in the hallway, but he ignored them for the most part and instead focused on the scuff on his shoe.
Fifteen minutes passed, and he was still waiting. And then he heard the click of heels and looked up to see Emily walking towards him, a stack of papers in her arms. "Hi," she said, giving him a slow smile. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighborhood," Steve shrugged.
"What's the real reason?" Em asked as she dug her keys out of her pocket; she nodded to a student who greeted her as she walked by.
"I, uh," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I went to S.H.I.E.L.D. this morning."
"Oh." Steve watched her as she set her papers on the floor to ceiling bookshelf, trying to figure out what she was thinking. "Ok, I need to run to the restroom, but then I'm all for grabbing lunch and talking about your meeting."
"I don't really have time for lunch." A confused look passed over her face before she shook her head and held up a finger.
"Restroom, then talk."
"Okay," he smiled, giving her a quick peck as she brushed past him. As she walked out, Em pulled the door so that it was almost closed. Once alone, Steve walked around her desk and looked out the window; she had a nice view.
"Hey, Em – " Steve turned quickly when there was a sharp knock on the door before it was pushed open. The man with brown hair and glasses stopped talking as his jaw dropped. "Oh, uh, hi."
"Hi," Steve said. "Emi – uh, Dr. Harthorn just stepped out for a minute." He squinted, trying to figure out why the man looked so familiar.
And then it hit him.
"Ah. Uh, just, uh, tell her that Ryan, I mean, Dr. Dietrich was looking for her. It's not important, but, yeah, just…"
"Okay." Ryan jerked a nod and rapped his knuckles against the doorframe before turning to leave. But then he stopped and turned back to face him.
"You're the guy from the diner, right? Em's ex?"
"Yeah," Steve said. "Yeah, that was me."
"Right. Okay," Ryan frowned, "yeah. Just…just tell her I stopped by."
"Okay." Steve sat in Em's chair after Ryan left, pulling the door shut behind him, and sighed. That hadn't been awkward at all.
"Alright," Emily said when she got back, closing the door and flicking the lock into place. "You went to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Yeah," he smiled as she walked around her desk and sat on it before smoothing her grey slacks down. "But you just missed Dr. Dietrich."
"I….huh?"
"Dr. Dietrich, he just left." She glanced at her watch an sighed.
"I'll deal with that later. Now," she gently tapped his leg with her toe. "Talk."
So he did. Steve told her about meeting up with Coulson – who was still on light duty – and the videoconference with Fury. They wanted him to sign on as an agent, but he wasn't willing to do that. Instead, Steve had agreed to consult with them. Negotiating the terms had taken ages, but he'd wanted to be very specific about his involvement with them. In the end, they'd both sacrificed a bit of what they wanted, but Steve was satisfied that all bases had been covered.
"Which," he said with a sigh, "is why I can't go out for lunch. I need to be back soon."
"For what?"
"There's a mission they need me on. One of their guys was injured and they need someone to step in. Sitwell's going to brief me on the intel before we head out."
"Oh." Emily had to bit her tongue against the words that threatened to spill from her mouth. Words that, strung together, would beg him not to go, remind him that he'd just gotten back, say that it was too dangerous.
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart," Steve said as he got up and stood in front of her. "I didn't think that they'd need me right away."
"No," she forced a smile. Her voice was falsely cheerful as she rested her hands on his hips. "No, don't worry about it. This is…it's something you have to do. Just be careful, alright?"
"I will be."
"And make sure you come back in one piece."
"Yes ma'am," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her.
"Try to minimize the number of injuries you get."
"Of course," he chuckled, leaning down. When she opened her mouth to give the next order, Steve quickly silenced her with a kiss. Em fisted her hands in his shirt, drawing him closer as he pressed her down onto the desk, hands travelling down her sides to where her button up was tucked into her slacks. Quickly, he tugged her shirt up and slipped his hand under to feel the smooth expanse of her stomach. When his thumb brushed over her scar, she tensed slightly.
"Gonna miss you," she said softly as he mouthed against her throat.
"Gonna miss you too," he groaned as she reached between them and undid his belt and undid the button of his pants. "Can't, Em."
"We can squeeze in a quicky," she disagreed.
"Dr. Harthorn?" a voice from the hall called as they knocked on the door. Emily's eyes grew huge as she clapped a hand over both her and Steve's mouths. They stayed completely still when the guy knocked again, and remained that way until they heard him walk away.
"I swear to god," Em groaned, squeezing Steve's shoulders tightly, "I have office hours for a reason!" He chuckled and kissed her again.
"Probably for the best. I've got to get back," he sighed and adjusted himself before buttoning his pants and fixing his belt. Emily slid off her desk and tucked in her shirt, giving him a curt nod.
"Okay. Just…just be careful and come home soon."
"I will, Sweetheart," he assured her. Steve smiled as she reached up to wipe a bit of her lipstick from his mouth and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Hopefully I won't be gone too long."
"You better not be," Em smirked. "Alright, Soldier, you've got your marching orders."
"Ma'am," he ducked his head. When he stepped around her, she swatted his ass, which made him raise an eyebrow.
"Come back and we'll christen the office."
"I'll hurry home, then."
"You better."
OOO
There was an annoying buzzing and an insistent chiming. Emily rolled onto her stomach and pulled a pillow over her head, hovering on the edge of sleep and consciousness. She let out a contented sigh when the noise stopped.
And then it started again.
Em blindly reached for her phone on the nightstand and frowned when she couldn't find it. With a huff, she opened her eyes and grabbed it; when she saw that it was two in the morning, her heart started to race. Late night calls rarely meant anything good.
"Hello?" she said, her voice rough with sleep.
"Good morning, Dr. Harthorn," JARVIS greeted her.
"Is everything okay?"
"I believe Captain Rogers is in some distress, and you seemed the most logical person to call."
"Distress?" Em asked, sitting up. This was the first she'd heard anything about Steve in the last four days.
"Yes. Perhaps it would be best for you to come over?"
"Yeah," she said, rubbing her eyes and flinging back the covers. "Yeah, I'll be over right away. Can you, uh, make sure I can get into the garage?"
"Of course."
"Alright. I'm –" she yawned, "I'm on my way."
"Wonderful." Once off the phone, Em got out of bed and stretched before going to her closet and getting one of her hoodies. After putting on her bra, sweatshirt, and shoes, she grabbed a bag and quickly shoved in her toiletries and the outfit she'd ironed for the next day before hurrying out of her bedroom.
"Drive safe."
Em shrieked and stumbled back into the wall, pressing a hand to her heart. "What the actual fuck, Carter?" she groaned. "When the hell did you get here?"
"About an hour or so ago. Oi!" he snapped, throwing an arm over his eyes when she flipped on the kitchen light. Squinting, he rolled off of the couch and stood, scratching his bare chest. Her eyes darted across his skin, taking in the scrapes and yellowing bruises before her eyes zeroed in on the gauze taped just above his hip. "Eyes up here, Harthorn," he chuckled while bending to retrieve the Tupperware from the coffee table. He tried, unsuccessfully, to hide the wince of pain.
"That was my lunch for today, asshole," she sighed, trying to sound more exasperated than relieved at seeing him.
"I'll buy you lunch." Carter walked towards her and winked. "Just name the time."
"After you get a hair cut and shave," Em fought smiling. His hair was long enough to be pulled back into a small ponytail, and a beard covered most of his face.
"Not into the caveman look?" he smirked before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"No, I like my men clean cut. But hey," she said, catching his elbow as he moved towards her kitchen. "Seriously, are you okay?"
"Knife wound," he shrugged. "I'll be right as rain in a few weeks."
"Do I even want to know?"
"Probably not. But you should go, Steve needs to you more than I do."
"Is he…?" she asked, her voice hitching with fear.
"No, no, he's alright," Carter said quickly. "I just heard some of the debrief while we were both in medical. They lost three members of their team."
"Oh my god," Em gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth.
"Yeah. He's taking it hard."
"Are you going to be okay? Or do you want me to call Sharon?"
"She's still on the Helicarrier. But don't worry, I'm fine. Just need to get some sleep."
"You sure? I mean, you can come to the Tower if you want. Steve's got a ton of room."
"Nah," Carter shook his head. "Your couch is just fine. Tell him I'll be over for breakfast, though. We've got some catching up to do."
"Okay. Just…if you change your mind," she trailed off.
"I've had worse, Doll. Now go take care of you lover and let me get some sleep."
"Don't call him my lover. It sounds like a bad romance novel." Carter laughed and kissed her temple before gently pushing her towards the front door. She took a step towards it before turning around and throwing her arms around Carter's neck. "I'm glad you're back," she said before kissing his cheek.
OOO
As soon as she'd pulled the car into the garage, the elevator door opened. Half-running, she hurried past Tony's cars and started the long ride up to his floor.
"Steve?" she called when the doors opened, not really expecting an answer. JARVIS brought up the lights as she walked into the foyer.
"The Captain is in the master en suite," Jarvis supplied, making Em jump slightly.
"Thanks," Em muttered and hitched her bag higher on her shoulder as she walked to Steve's room. The door was ajar, almost as if it had been flung open hard enough to bounce back against the wall. Biting her lip, Emily stepped inside and paused when she accidentally kicked something.
Crouching, Em let her bag fall to the ground and picked up Steve's helmet. She looked at it for a long moment, running her thumbs over the indentations that made the silver wings, before walking to his dresser and setting it on top. And with a deep breath, she approached the bathroom door where she could hear the shower going.
"Steve?" No answer. "Hon, are you okay?" After a moment, Em pushed the door open and stepped in. "Oh, sweetie," she said sadly.
The marble wall blocked her view of from mid-chest down, but she still saw enough. Steve was still in his uniform, head bowed into the spray and his cowl bunched around his neck. His left arm was braced against the wall, jaw clenched, and eyes closed.
Emily shut the door behind her and quickly went to the linen closet and retrieved two towels, which she sat on the rim of garden tub across to the shower. Eyeing the black thing tossed against one of the sinks, she pulled off her hoodie and let it fall to the ground, quickly followed by the rest of her clothes.
"Merde," she hissed when the first ice-cold droplet landed on her skin. Gently nudging Steve aside, she reached around him and adjusted the tap to a more reasonable temperature. Steve still hadn't opened his eyes. Ducking under his arm, Em placed herself between him and the wall, and reached up to cup his face, avoiding the cuts and scrapes. "Mon coeur?" Nothing. Sighing, she placed a kiss on his forehead before wrapping her arms around him, shivering slightly at the chill of his uniform. "It's going to be okay," she said softly.
"They're dead," Steve said so softly that Em almost missed it.
"I know," she said. "Carter told me."
"It was my fault."
"I'm sure it wasn't," Emily said, taking hold of his right forearm and attempting to loosen the straps. His mouth turned into a mockery of a smile and he shook his head, jerked his arm from her grasp, grimacing slightly, and stepped away from her.
"It was. They were gunning for me, and the team took the hit." She pressed her lips into a thin line before shaking her head.
"You did what you cou – "
"Don't," Steve barked. "Don't try to make this okay."
"Alright," Emily said cautiously, eyes going wide as she held up her hands, "I won't. I'm sorry." Some of the hardness in his eyes softened.
"Sweetheart," he groaned. "I think it'd be better if you left."
"Okay," she nodded. "I'll leave – when you get out of the shower."
"Emily," Steve said sternly.
"Steven." He looked angry again as she stared him down, eyebrow cocked and arms crossed over her breasts. Finally, he hung his head and tugged at the snap clasps at his throat. "What's wrong with your arm?" Emily asked, nodding to his right arm. She'd noticed that he was favoring his left.
"Dislocated my shoulder." When he saw the worried look on Emily's face he shrugged his right shoulder. "Did worse before."
"That's reassuring," she smirked before taking his left hand and removing the glove. She tucked it under her arm before gently taking his right hand again and, trying not to jostle him at all, removed that glove as well. With a well-aimed toss, both gloves landed in the tub. "Do I need to worry about anything going off in this?" Em asked, tapping his belt.
"I've got it," he said, quickly undoing the buckle. He leaned out of the shower and draped it over the rim of the tub. Both he and Emily had questioned the wisdom of a shower with no door but now it Steve was realizing what a convenience it was.
Emily put a hand on his chest and tugged open the clasps holding the blue panel of his Kevlar/nomex vest before undoing the zipper. With her help, Steve was able to slip his left arm out without jostling his right shoulder too much, and she stepped behind him to slide it off of his left arm. The blue undershirt was a bit more of a struggle, and 'fuck' and 'damn it' slipped from Steve's mouth quite frequently.
A dark purple bruise had formed on his right shoulder, and Steve saw Emily bite her lip, eyes going wide at the sight. "Like I said, had worse," he assured her.
"That really doesn't make it any better," Em sighed before pulling her eyes away from it to look over the rest of his body. There were lighter bruises here and there but nothing nearly as bad.
"I'm in one piece, at least," he said, giving her a tired smile.
"True." Steve wrapped his good arm around Em's waist and pulled her close.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I just…I don't want to talk about it right now."
"Okay. That's all you have to say and I'll back off." Steve sighed and leaned down to rest his forehead to hers. "I love you."
"Love you too," he sighed before pressing his lips to hers. "Missed you."
"I-I," she started to say before turning away and covering her mouth as she yawned. "Missed you too."
"What time is it?" Steve asked.
"After two, probably closer to three."
"You've got to go to campus in a few hours," he groaned.
"I'll be okay," she shrugged. "But come on, I'm getting prune-y." Em gently pushed him back against the wall before kneeling again and working at his boots; despite Steve's protests that he could do it, undoing the buckles and tugging them off proved to be a two handed effort. Steve's cock twitched with interest as she undid his pants and slid them down his legs along with his briefs, but they were both too tired to do much about that. "Do these even have a function?" she teased, tapping the zippers on his thighs.
"Haven't found one yet," he shrugged before hissing in pain.
"Yeah, let's not do that again," she advised.
Once they'd both cleaned up and dressed for bed, Emily bullied Steve into wearing the sling S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medical team had given him and he'd taken off. He complained as she tightened the strap around his bare torso, effectively immobilizing the arm, until she silenced him with a kiss. After he'd moved his shield from where he'd tossed it on the bed, Em and Steve crawled in, which set off another round of angry muttering.
Steve usually slept on his right side.
"Fuck. I hate this thing."
"Roll over, you big baby," she huffed as he once again turned and jostled his shoulder. Steve did as she said, and Emily curled against his back, wrapping an arm around him and sliding the other under her pillow. "Just don't elbow my stomach and we won't have issues, Rogers."
"I'll try not to," he said, shifting to get comfortable. Admittedly, he felt a bit awkward being the little spoon, as Emily called it, but at least it kept him from turning over.
"Night," Em said softly before pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade.
"Night, Sweetheart."
OOO
They definitely weren't the best pancakes he'd ever had, Steve decided as he devoured the food Carter had brought over the next morning, but they were a hell of a lot better the MREs he'd been eating the last few days.
"So," the agent said over the rim of his coffee cup. "Shall I yell at you now or later?"
"Say your piece," Steve sighed, knowing that he'd full well deserve everything that Carter gave him. After all, he'd been taking care of his girl while Steve was gone.
"Let's start with this: if you ever put her through what you did again, just remember that I have access to an arsenal of S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry, I'm about to leave the organization, and I'm a British citizen. I may not have your strength, but I'm pretty sure I could kick your arse and make you stay down for a while if you pull that stunt again."
"Understood," Steve smirked.
It definitely was the most interesting version of the shovel talk he'd gotten.
Author's Note: Hey guys! So thanks for following me over to this short fic. There aren't going to be too many in 'Starry Eyed Again' because these are just little insights into what's going on in Steve and Emily's lives between the end of Change and the beginning of the sequel which will be called - drum roll please - 'Star Spangled Heart'.
Please be patient with me on posting these. I've got a plot roughed out for these one-shots, but I'm working full time, I've started my PhD, and am trying to research/firm up the plot for the sequel. As you can see, I'm not making these short. Please, please, please be patient!
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!