Thank you waterdragon213, tlyxor1, chock to, galyardt, loki, Ummay Winchester, Jazz, BetahimeTsukiko, naali, KXR, Tracer28, ANGEL FALLEN FROM HEAVEN, InazumaNina, Apocalypse owner, MariMart, birdy, Quyiken, Ksave, Elia the Huntress, XxXLuvTheOriginalsXxX, Tsuki no Yasha, and Guests for reviewing, as well as everyone who faved/followed this story. You guys are so wonderful, and you truly light up my world. Sorry if I forgot anyone!
I am sorry for the slow updates, but... I've nearly finished writing the main story, so I just have a few more pages, then go back and smooth everything out so that it's readable to people who are not sleep deprived caffeine addicts.
Chock to: Why, thank you! I hope you enjoy the next chapter too!
Loki: Please don't send the chitari after me for my slow update ( I love that you chose that name!) Thank you so much for your review, it really means more than I can say to me.
Jazz: Ha. HA HA. (Okay, I kinda see what happens as 'necessary' shit. If Sam were taken out of the equation, the story would be totally different. His distrust and power is kinda why they won't just talk it out. Without him- and maybe a little bit natasha?- Steve and Leah would probably already be quite happy together. Moral of the story: BLAME SAM.) And thank you for your wonderful comment! It's as beautiful as your personality!
naali: I know what you mean! It took me a couple of years to actually post the first chapter and see what reaction I'd get. But people like you have been so supportive. I can't thank you enough for that.
birdy: ummm... let's just say, at a very inopportune moment. BECAUSE DRAMA. Within the next several chapters, things will be revealed! Thank you. I love seeing your reviews popping up. You are amazing.
Guest: Thank you! I hope I didn't make you wait to long.
"Steve did this?" Leah asked, and Seth wailed as she yanked the glass out of his skin with tweezers.
"Not exactly, but mostly yes," Quil explained, wincing as Leah neared his face with the metal torture device.
Leah scowled at the two evasive boys.
"Someone better tell me exactly what that means..." she left the threat hanging.
The two boys shared another look. Quil nodded for Seth to begin, receiving a glare in return.
"We got back from the city, and we saw the note, right?" Seth looked at Quil for support.
"Except there's someone still in the gym, in the back room that no one really uses. I guess we got curious, so we went round the back to peak through the window to the basement-you know, the one right at the bottom of the wall? And we see this guy, person, can't really see his face," Seth quickly said, not eager for the big reveal.
"And he's punching the bag-"
"Like it murdered his mother," Quil interrupted helpfully.
"And we watch him, maybe we're trying to get a look at his face, I don't know, and then he punches-he gives this massive punch, and the bag flies off the chain and into the window. Smashes the glass all in our faces," Seth swallowed, looking away from Leah's increasingly empty look.
"When we look up-it's Steve. Steve's looking right at us," He bit his lip, looking at his long fingers on the tabletop.
"We ran," Quil supplied, his breath hoarse.
For an age, so one spoke. No one looked at each other. Minutes carried on for hours.
"He shouldn't have been able to do that," Seth finally whispered.
"I told you, the chain was broken," Quil hissed.
"No, it wasn't," Leah spoke in a monotone, no emotion in her eyes, "I checked everything before our mystery after-hours client arrived."
"You knew he was coming?" Seth was bewildered.
"Karen said some guy payed a lot of money to use the empty gym after hours. Didn't get his name," Seth could see the muscles in Leah's jaw working.
"Are we gonna tell Sam?" Quil finally spoke up, looking nervously between the two siblings.
Leah didn't answer.
The front door opened.
"What the hell?" Sue screeched, racing up to the two boys.
"Why is everyone allowed to say that kind of stuff except me?" Seth fumed as his mother fussed over him.
After a discussion that lasted long into the night, two things were decided. Quil was not allowed to leave the house till his face healed over, and Sue would be the one to call Sam. Leah, curled up on the couch listening in on the civilised discussion her mother had with her alpha.
If she was the one telling him, there would be a hell of a lot more yelling. And that phone would most certainly be cracked beyond repair.
Sue eventually hung up the phone, sitting down next to her daughter. The older woman looked at her lap, short nails tapping at the black fabric of her pants.
"Sam's not happy," Sue eventually said.
"When isn't he?" Leah grumbled. Sue bit her lip.
"He asks that you get up first thing, check out the gym. See if there's anything there. Any clues to what Steve is..." Sue trailed off. The cynicism in the air between the two was palpable.
"That's all he wants?" Leah asked gruffly, straightening her back.
Sue chose her words carefully, well aware of the mangled cobweb of emotions and feelings between her daughter and almost son in law.
"He's not happy," she repeated slowly, "but he doesn't really know what to do. I suppose he'll have to look further into Steve."
"He's not a bad person!" Leah snapped angrily.
"I know that," Sue reached out to hold her daughter's clenched fist.
"But that doesn't mean he's not dangerous."
At five the next morning, Leah and the boys found themselves grumpily (and somewhat grudgingly) examining the scene of impact.
"Where's all the glass gone?" Quil muttered, searching for the shards that had not impaled themselves on him. The area around the small window was almost completely devoid of glass. The bitumen shone dully in the morning sun. Seth noticed there were no drops of blood on the road either.
There was one large piece of glass. Cut in a rectangle, perfectly fitted to the newly installed window frame.
"It-I swear that was broken!" Seth whispered, pointing at the window.
"Relax," Leah grumbled, crouching down, "it's new. So is the frame." She dragged one finger across the pristine surface.
"No dirt," she muttered. Seth and Quil shared a look, worriedly stepping closer together. Leah jumped up, power marching to the back door while digging her key out. She flung the door open, not bothering to switch the lights on, taking the steep concrete stairs three at a time. Seth and Quil hurried down behind her, flipping the switch to create light in the darkened basement.
She raced straight over o the punching bag hanging from a chain attached to a wooden beam. The chain was new, dull steel links strong as ever.
The bag itself, however, looked old. It was duct taped in places, just like it had been last night when she left it. Running her hands over it, she couldn't feel any shards of glass imbedded in it's exterior. The seams at the top, however, were perfectly tight, immoveable. It was new made to look old, Leah realised. She stepped back, feeling something inside her shrink.
"It's all been replaced," she explained slowly.
They stared at the bag, swinging slightly. Someone who could have done a cleanup job like this in the middle of the night... They had to have money. Connections. Intelligence. And a fear of being found out.
Someone like the Cullens.
Natasha didn't screech when Steve revealed what he'd done last night. She didn't fold her arms and quietly reprimand him either. She sat on the small motel bed, giving Steve her undivided attention as he explained. Honestly, he'd have preferred screaming.
He could feel sweat gathering on his forehead, and reached up a hand to scrub it away. Eventually, she let out out a sigh.
"We have to make sure those boys are okay," she said evenly. Steve reached up to wipe his brow again. An unconscious tell that did not escape the Black Widow.
"What are you not telling me, Rogers?" she said, her voice just as even as before.
He took a deep breath, paused, then attempted to explain. "They were fixing themselves up. The skin around the cuts was meshing together again. Healing," he elaborated. They sat in silence, Natasha perfectly still, Steve's jaw clenching.
"Super soldiers would explain the size of all the men," Natasha eventually said.
Steve shook his head, "They were surprised at seeing how hard I could punch. If they were super soldiers, they'd know me, and what I can do. Wouldn't they?" The question was not as rhetorical as Steve had hoped.
"Unless they're not as strong as you," Natasha said, "and they were reacting to that." Despite the silence and virtual immobility of her body, Steve could hear her brain ticking away.
"Half of them are just kids, Nat," he said, fighting to keep the anger out of his voice. Natasha looked at him, and Steve immediately tried to backtrack.
"Never stopped me," she said, daring Steve to look away.
"I'm sorry Nat. I know what happened to you, I just-no one likes to think what-"
"What evils innocent little children carry out?" Natasha asked. She hadn't blinked.
"That anyone could force a helpless little kid to do things experienced adults have nightmares over," he corrected her. After a pause she nodded, looking away. A small smile flitted across her face. Steve pretended not to see.
As quickly as it had come, her smile was gone.
"Steve. The fast healing. The huge wolf creatures."
He snorted, "I know. Something odd is going on here."
"Leah would know," she said innocently. Far too innocently for a world class spy.
"No," Steve said immediately, "Not going to happen."
"Hi, Sue," Steve sounded slightly strangled over the phone. The pack, plus Emily and Sue, were huddled in Sue's kitchen, staring at her wide eyed as she put the phone on speaker.
"How are you doing?" Sue asked politely.
"Yeah, great," Steve said with the forced enthusiasm of someone who was not, in fact, great.
"Is Leah there?" he asked. Externally, Leah did not react. Internally, she felt like someone who had downed too many drinks, and was just at the stage where lightheadedness crossed over to vomit inducing illness.
Sue looked at her daughter questioningly. Leah felt the eyes of the pack on her, burning holes through her calm facade. Emily looked hopeful. Sam did not.
Stepping forward, she took the phone from her mother's hand.
"Hey Steve. What's up?" she asked, determinedly ignoring the muscles in Sam's jaw working away.
"A friend gave me tickets to see Into The Woods in Port Angeles. The musical, not the movie," he quickly explained, "I, its not a big budget production, or anything, but-I was wondering if you would like to come see it with me. And maybe dinner, before?"
Leah wondered if it was her imagination, or if she could really hear his heart beating through the phone. Maybe it was hers.
Sam was frowning at her, shaking his head from side to side. Emily looked worried, and their combined expressions seemed to say both too dangerous, and don't you dare.
Pressing the button that took it off speaker phone, she held it up to her ear, turning away from her enthralled audience.
"Is this a date?" she asked, the perfect picture of calm.
"... yes?" Steve asked hesitantly.
"Does this date have a date and time, or are we gonna wing it?" Leah asked, ignoring small gasps behind her.
"Tomorrow? I could pick you up at five?" He sounded so nervous, and Leah thought she detected guilt. Because he lied to her last time she saw him? Come to think of it, she had plenty to feel guilty about too. Squashing her guilt at snooping through his private belongings, she nodded.
"Oh, come on!" someone behind her said, worry making their temper flare. Without turning, she tried to walk out the doorway, but the phone cord pulled her back. It showed how scared the pack was that they didn't laugh at her stumble.
She picked up the phone and cradle, and carried it out the door, round the corner.
"I'd love to, Steve," she said. Despite all the lies between them, those three words were genuine.
"Brilliant!" Leah could see his grin through the cord, and out of the view of the others, she allowed herself a smile.
"You know, Seth and Quil told me something really weird," she continued.
"Oh. Really?" Steve sounded strained.
"They said someone was at the gym after hours working at a bag, and punched it so hard it smashed the glass in the window. They were covered in cuts."
"Are they okay?" Steve sounded so worried and ashamed, Leah knew it couldn't have been deliberate. The idea of going to the gym after hours was probably so that no one did get hurt. Which then raised a whole other set of questions.
"They're fine. My mum used to be a nurse, and she's got a cream that fixes cuts. You'd never known they were hurt," Leah lied through her teeth, fingers wrapping tightly around the cord, just like when she was younger, and would stay up half the night talking to her friends. The habit felt odd. She wondered if it was still a habit if you hadn't done it in years.
"Thank God," Steve muttered.
"Do you know who they said it was," Leah prodded, hand pulling the circular cord straight.
His breath stopped.
"Ahhh... Yes," he finished firmly. Leah heard a thump, and Steve gave a surprised squeak.
"Are you okay?" she asked, more worry in her voice then she would have liked.
"Yes," Steve answered, sounding frustrated.
"They said it was you," Leah told him. Steve stopped.
"I'm sorry Leah, I should have stopped and made sure they were okay," Steve sounded so ashamed.
"They ran, not you," Leah said, "But how did that happen? You'd have to be pretty strong to do that much damage."
"The chain was broken," Steve said, so carefully it had to be rehearsed.
"Okay," Leah accepted automatically. It was the same excuse Quil had offered her. It wasn't any more true coming out of Steve's lips.
"Thank you for cleaning the place up," she said.
She could almost hear him shrugging over the phone, "It was the least I could do. Say sorry to the boys for me?"
"Sure. See you tomorrow." She slammed the phone back in the cradle before he could say goodbye.
She was immediately greeted with a wall of worried faces of her pack and family.
"Leah, you can't," Sam ordered. Glaring at him, Leah drew herself up, planting both feet firmly on the floor.
"I don't really give a fuck about what you want, Sam," Leah said, in the forcefully calm voice of someone who was about to boil over.
"He's my imprint, and maybe he lied, but I lied to him too. He didn't mean to hurt the boys, so you know what?" Leah stepped forward, glaring up into Sam's impassive face, "I don't care how fucked up my imprint and I are. He's mine. Get out of my life."
With that, Leah turned tail, slamming the front door behind her. She wondered if she'd ever get tired of the dramatic exit.
"Steve, is it that hard for you to lie?" Natasha snapped when he hung up the phone. Slowly, Steve began nodding his head.
"What is it about her? You could have any woman you want, Rogers, why her?" Natasha snapped, "Why do we have to get tangled up in this stupid mess?"
Steve scowled at her, "There's something about her, Nat. I just..."
"What? You just saw her, and she was the one?" Natasha snapped, staring him straight in the eyes, "we were taught all about romantic guys like you, Rogers. What buttons to push to get them to play," she took a step closer, and Steve had to fight the urge to step away.
"They are so easy to play, Steve. Like a god damn piano," Natasha said steely. Steve opened his mouth, begging his head to come up with rebuttal, something, anything, when an old car roared into the dusty parking lot. Steve looked up to see a familiar old ute haphazardly trying to squeeze into a too small car park.
Natasha yanked open the front door of their motel room, marching outside to meet Clint.
"Hey, Tashie!" Clint yelled, slamming the creaky car door behind him, arms open. Natasha submitted to a bear hug from their friend, and the side door of the car opened. Steve held Maria's bag as she braced herself.
"Worst three hours of my life," Hill hissed, taking the bag back grumpily. Steve bit back a grin, leading her to the small reception.
"I didn't know you were coming. I thought Nat only asked Clint," Steve asked.
Hill rolled here eyes, "When Clint told me he had to leave the tower for a while, I asked what he was doing. Thought you might be closing in on Barnes, so I took a few days off for support."
Steve was surprised at the kindness in the gesture, "Thank you, Maria, but that's not exactly what's been going on," he said, far too evasively for Hill's liking. She eyed the super soldier, and the super spy meters away, pulling Clint sharply away from his wreck of a car.
"What did you do to piss off Romanoff, Rogers?" Hill snapped.
Steve sighed, "get settled first."
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