Hey! Man, was this chapter hard to write. I had no idea where I wanted to go so I just kind of went with what my brain spat out. Sorry if it's not as good as the other chapters. OOoops. Anyways, this one is in Steve's point of view. A few of you were asking about how he was feeling about Rory and whatnot so this one's for you. The next post will most likely be half Steve, half Rory. THANKS SO MUCH to everyone who's favorited/followed/reviewed. And thanks to everyone that's reading!

On we go...

Disclaimer: Marvel. Not mine.


Chapter 7:Just Hobbling Around

Cabin

2:00 hours

July 10, 2014

After leaving Rory's room, Steve changed his damp, pond-stenched clothes and went to make lunch. He decided to make sandwiches and a Caesar salad; his mind too busy to focus on something more complicated.

His world had gone from beating up bad guys to babysitting and Steve was still trying to adjust. The past twenty-four hours spent here at the cabin had been wonderful in his opinion. Sure, he loved saving the world but being a superhero that was constantly in the public eye got old. He had been sure before he joined the army and became Captain America, that it was what he wanted out of life—the chance to fight and save lives rather than waste away as an asthmatic orphan. Sometimes, though, he just wished he could be normal.

Steve finished making lunch and decided to wait for Rory to wake up so they could eat together. He sat down on the couch and turned on Doctor Who. There was something about the show that he truly enjoyed. Maybe it was the fact that the Doctor didn't like to use violence and guns to solve all of his problems, or maybe it was just the good-natured humor of it all.

It was a little after two-thirty when he heard movement in the bedroom. He jumped and waltzed into the room to give help Rory get to the dining table.

Her hair was rumpled and clothes askew from sleeping, which Steve thought was adorable. She looked up when he entered and smiled. "Ah, I was wondering when my ride would get here."

He laughed, "I'm sorry to make you wait, m'lady."

Rory's smile grew as she wrapped her arms around his neck and was lifted off the bed.

They situated themselves at the table and began eating. A comfortable silence fell over them as they ate.

"Tell me about HYDRA," Rory let slip. She glanced up at him quickly to see his stunned expression. "I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

He shook his head and said, "No, it's fine. You were kidnapped by them. It's only natural you would want to know more about them."

"I just figured you would know a bit more than everyone else, having fought against them and all," she clarified.

He took a sip of his water and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "They're ruthless, sneaky, power-hungry extremists. I've fought them twice and came close to death both times. I lost good people fighting to save the world from HYDRA. They're also the reason S.H.I.E.L.D. went under, but you knew that already." She nodded. "The first time they were led by Johann Schmidt, a Nazi agent who was trying to destroy the world. He captured opposing soldiers, one of which was my best friend Bucky, and that's when I took action. I managed to free them and escape Schmidt's compound before it blew up. We then went on to taking out all of the other HYDRA bases and it well for a while. We were getting it done. My team and I got orders to capture Schmidt's accomplice, Dr. Zola, and bring him in. Everything was going great until something…something very bad happened."

"What happened?"

"It's not important," he said, averting his eyes and shaking his head. "We stormed their headquarters a short time later and all hell broke loose. I ended up jumping onto Schmidt's plane, fighting him, winning and then winding up having to put the thing down before it made its way to the Eastern Seaboard. I was frozen, woke up decades later and ended up having to fight them a second time. You've probably got most of those details, though, from Fury."

Thinking about it all was making Steve forlorn. He wasn't ready to talk about Bucky or Peggy, even though he figured there was a good chance she already knew some of the details from the information the director had sent her.

Glancing up at her he noticed she was looking down at her lap and playing with her hands. Steve knew telling her all of this would make her even more scared, but she asked and he wasn't going to shield her from the truth. "Do—. You don't think they'll find me here, do you?"

He looked at her with sad eyes for a moment before hardening his face. "They won't find you. And even if they did, they'd have to go through me first. I won't let anything happen to you," he reassured her.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a weak smile.

He hated seeing her like this; nervous, scared, worried. Something in his chest tightened at the thought of HYDRA taking her again and he was certain, if they did, she wouldn't come out of it unscathed like last time—if she came out of it at all.

Clearing his throat, Steve stood from the table and started gathering the plates. He put them in the sink and made a mental note to wash them later.

"How's your foot?" he asked.

"Sore. I'd love to shower and get all the pond gunk off me but I don't think I can stand on it," she responded.

"I, uh…," he coughed and crossed his arms across his chest, looking down at the ground. "I could help you, if you wanted me to."

She thought about it for a moment and Steve held his breath waiting for her answer. He couldn't believe he had just offered to help her shower. Sure he was a gentleman and all…but seeing her naked? That was totally new territory for Steve Rogers. It made him kind of nervous, scared even. He was Captain America, for goodness sake! Nothing should scare him, especially a tiny, naked girl.

He shook his head and gazed back over at Rory. The soldier watched as a soft, pink blush crept into her cheeks.

"I think I'll pass on the shower and just take a bath," she decided. "Could you help me to my room and then to the bathroom?"

"Of course."

He walked over to where she sat and moved to pick her up. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him away gently, shaking her head. "No. I can walk kind of. Put your arm around me and support my bad side."

Doing as she said, Steve wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her stand from the table. She wobbled trying to get her footing and leaned more into Steve. He pushed away thoughts of how amazing her body felt against his and headed towards the bedroom.

After she had collected some clean clothes from her bag, they made their way into the bathroom. Rory told him to leave her on the edge of the tub and she could handle things from there. He was a bit apprehensive to leave her by herself but he figured she could shout if she needed him.

He closed the door behind her and wandered back over to the couch. Doctor Who kept him entertained while he waited for her to finish her bath. It was just about a full episode later when he heard her call his name. Jumping up, he went to the door and knocked before entering.

"You can come in, Steve. I'm dressed. Just need help getting out of here," she laughed.

They shuffled to the couch and sat down.

"We should re-bandage your foot," he said and hopped up to get the supplies he had used earlier. Settling back down next to her, he moved her foot so that it rested on top of his thigh and gently cared for it. "There, all done," he announced.

He set the gauze and antibiotic ointment on the end table and turned back to her. A smile crossed his face as he took in the sight of her asleep next to him. Steve grabbed the throw off the back of the couch and carefully slung it over her legs. He sat back and got comfortable letting his hand rest gingerly on top of her ankle where it still rested on his thigh. The show resumed playing and Steve eventually drifted off to the sound of the TARDIS whirring in the background.


So now we know a bit of what Steve's got going on in that beautiful mind of his. Like I said, the next chapter will be split between the two. And guys, THE FLUFF IS COMING. Yay! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. THanks for reading, my wonderful readers. Until next time. -KAITi