Author's Note: You guys keep amazing me. Seriously. We are currently at 136 reviews. Last chapter got thirteen reviews again. I'm kind of in shock.

Seriously. I didn't think that this story was going to hit it off like this, especially since we're heading into the very fun sections where both are clearly falling for each other but don't want to admit it.

I'm so glad to hear that you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am! I'm having a blast writing this, and I hope you guys enjoy this latest little arc. It's going to get very emotional and a bit fluffy at some parts, because both are realizing that they're falling fast and hard for each other.

I don't own Avengers or any associated acts. I only own Mack Donahue, who is slowly realizing that she is so in over her head when it comes to Steve, and it's glorious. I hope everyone enjoys, and please review!

Due to the fact that next chapter is literally my favorite of all time, it very well might be posted tonight or early tomorrow morning, so don't expect too long a wait for an update. I'm excited to get into the next arc.

And of course, the poll is still on my page, and it pretty much asks who you guys think is going to make the first move – Steve or Mack. :D Please take it, darlings, and I hope to hear from you all with this chapter!

Bohemia
In her three years at SHIELD, Mackenzie Donahue has run into some strange things. Weird hammers, egocentric billionaires, and of course her archer SO. Somehow, a gentleman soldier out of his time turns out to be the best of it all. Steve/OC

Chapter 20 – Run For It

April 14, 2011

It took a shorter time than Mack thought that it would.

She had been out of the hospital for a few days now, and she had packed an emergency bag the very night she got home and had slipped it into one of the cupboards in her kitchen. The panic that had set in upon learning that Ross was looking into Steve had disappeared, replaced by the cold and calculating calm that came when Mack was in the field.

Mack was going to do whatever she had to in order to protect Steve.

She had been busy the past week at least, despite her technical medical leave. Mack had contacted Peggy and the remaining members of the Howling Commandos. Their options were limited. Dugan and Jones had agreed that their places in Virginia weren't safe; they were far too close to Washington DC, despite the fact that Mack knew the Willowdale area like the back of her hand and could think of several places they could hide.

For a very short amount of time, Mack had considered Wrigley. Wrigley was a small Pennsylvania town not too far from outside Pittsburgh. It was also her hometown, and her family still lived there.

Logic had come into play soon after. The US government had to have looked into Steve's actions in the present by now, and they would soon figure out that he had been spending a lot of time with her. It would take a two second Google search to find out that she was from Wrigley, which would make it one of the first places Ross would check for Steve.

Besides, Mack had no desire to get her mother or siblings involved in what was going on. None of them knew that she worked for SHIELD, and if Mack had her way they never would.

She also did not want to expose Steve to her mother. No one really deserved to be exposed to her mother.

Peggy and Dernier both were ready for Steve if it came down to it. Mack's immediate plan for when Ross made his move was to go to London first. There were several SHIELD safe houses all around Europe, but Mack realized their options were limited if she didn't want to be the victim of a second sniper attack.

Of course, there was also explaining to her mother that she had been hurt at the end of last month and figuring out a way to explain it without going into the fact that she had been shot by a sniper sent after her in order to get to one of her mentors.

Mack knew that wouldn't go over well at all. So, she went for the simple, more mundane answer. She was going to have to come up with a new excuse list for her injuries though.

"You got hit by a car?! You were hospitalized and didn't tell me!?" Mack's mother was taking the news about as well as the SHIELD agent had expected.

"Mom, relax!" Mack ran a hand through her hair as she sat on the couch of her living room. Arizona was lying in the sun from the window, snoring lightly. Mack's dark hair was damp around her shoulders. "It wasn't that bad. I had some bad cuts on my chest and back-"

That didn't seem to get through to Grace. "You were hospitalized! You didn't even tell me!"

Mack gritted her teeth. She and her mother had been close a few years ago, but Mack's time in SHIELD had ruined a lot of that relationship. Being in SHIELD on principal meant keeping a lot of secrets, and Grace Donahue had been able to tell early on that her younger daughter had been keeping secrets from her.

Every attempt by Grace to figure out what Mack was hiding had ended in horrible fights.

Grace had given up, and Mack had stopped talking to her as much, if only to protect her family from the enemies she had been making in the espionage world.

Mack went to Natasha and Clint for anything she needed after she had started her training. Her close relationship with her family had been one of her sacrifices for a career in SHIELD, and it was one of the few regrets that Mack held with her choices.

There were always other regrets, of course, but her relationship with her family had been Mack's first casualty after Clint Barton had walked into her life and brought her into SHIELD.

Mack was the baby of her family, with an older brother and an older sister. Sean and his family lived less than an hour away from Wrigley in Pittsburgh, while Bridget and her family lived on the other side of town from their mother. Mack was the only one who had moved out of state. She had always been something of the black sheep and rebel of the family, though she would never regret the choices she had made.

"Mom, it wasn't that big a deal." Mack knew that it wasn't going to do much to end her mother's worrying or the angry tirade she had already set herself on. "I'm okay. I'm going to have scars, but I'm okay. I had some friends taking care of me-"

"You didn't call me, and you haven't been back home for over a year!"

Mack didn't bother in biting back an annoyed groan. "Mom, I'm not starting this argument again!"

Grace gave a sigh over the phone, and Mack counted to ten in her head, wondering how her relationship with her mother had gotten this bad this quickly. "I'm glad you're happy with your life. Really, Mackenzie, I am. But I'm still worried about you."

"I know. I'm okay, Mom. I'll try and come down this spring or something." Mack bit her lip, knowing that she would probably end up cancelling that plan. Sooner or later, Fury was going to decide that Steve had adjusted, and Mack would be sent back out into the field.

She didn't know why the thought of being far away from Steve upset her so much.

Mack's phone began vibrating at that point, and she sighed when she noticed the caller ID. "Mom, my boss is calling me. I need to answer him, he doesn't call unless it's an emergency. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"In three months," Grace muttered darkly, and Mack grit her teeth to force keep herself from giving a bitchy retort. "I love you, Mackie."

"Love you too, Mom." Mack hung up the phone without another word, shuddering at the use of her childhood nickname. Her father had called her that, and it never felt quite as right when Grace called her that. She shook her head before going on to answer Fury on the cell.

"Donahue here," Mack said, her voice business. She didn't know why Fury would be calling her now, especially since she technically had three more days of rest before she was allowed to return to her office at SHIELD. "How can I help you, Director Fury?"

She wasn't surprised that Fury didn't bother with pleasantries. Mack was surprised, however, at the urgent undernote of the SHIELD Director's voice. "Donahue, grab your bag, grab Rogers, and get to the airfield. Now." His tone left no room for argument.

Mack's heart sped up as she realized what might be happening. "Director?" she demanded, her voice calmer than she felt.

"It's happening, Donahue. Ross is making a play for Captain Rogers."

Mack froze instantly. Oh, God. It was actually happening. They knew it was a possibility the instant that Dugan had been visited by Ross, but the fact that it was actually happening made it all too real.

Over her dead body was Ross getting anywhere near Steve.

"We'll be at the plane field within the hour." Mack stood instantly, hurrying to the kitchen. She pulled out the bag immediately before setting it down, hurrying to her room to grab a few last minute things – including her phone charger, her iPod, and several weapons. "I have one request."

"What is it, Donahue?" Fury demanded.

Mack's lips quirked up into a smile. "I need someone to watch Arizona. Miss Argent is visiting her daughter in Massachusetts, and I don't think I can bring my dog to the safe house."

Fury gave a sarcastic laugh, and Mack was very surprised with his reply. "Donahue, I'll babysit your damned mutt myself if it means you and Rogers are out of this country ASAP. Grab him, and run for it. I'm sending a car to his place for you to get yourselves to the airfield."

"Understood, sir." Mack bit her lip as she grabbed her bag. She knew exactly what the first step in her plan to protect Steve. "We'll be out of the county by this afternoon."

She just had to grab Steve first.

He somehow knew the moment he answered his phone and heard her voice on the other end that something had gone wrong. Maybe it was a sign that Steve was getting close enough to Mack to read her moods. Maybe it meant that she was putting her guard down and was letting him read her more. Most ominously at all, maybe he could tell because she was that freaked out.

Steve had the unfortunate feeling that it was the third option after he had answered his phone. She didn't even wait for him to say hello.

"Steve?"

Steve frowned as he heard the tone in Mack's voice. With a surprised jolt, he recognized it as fear. "Mack, what's wrong?" For a brief moment, he wondered if HYDRA had finally attacked her to get to him. Rage built in his chest for an instant. "Are you okay?" he demanded.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." He was going to worry about her anyway, especially when she sounded like this. "I need you to listen to me carefully, okay?" There was noise coming through her end of the line, and Steve realized that Mack was on the move through the streets. "Are you at your place?"

"I haven't left today." Steve was beginning to realize that this situation was far more serious than Mack was letting on. He had no idea what was going on. "Why?"

Mack gave a sigh of relief. "Steve, you need to pack a bag for a few days. We have to get out of here."

"What are you talking about?" Steve demanded, frowning as he stood up. He ran a hand through his hair as he realized that Mack was scared, though he couldn't figure out why. "Mack, what is going on?"

"Steve, just pack a bag, okay? Please, just listen to me."

Steve ran a hand through his hair, frustration leaking into his tone. "Mack-"

"Trust me, Steve. Just trust me," Mack interrupted him. The symbol broke a bit before returning, and Mack repeated, "Pack a bag. I'll be at your apartment in a little bit."

Of course she had to pull the trust line. He knew for a fact that she probably did it intentionally. Steve sighed before saying, "Fine. I want an explanation though." He stood from the table, making his way into the bedroom. "And I mean a real explanation, Kenzie."

If she was going to pull the trust card on him, he would so pull the Kenzie card on her.

"You'll get one, I promise. Just please, listen to me. I'm going to knock three times when I get there, all in a row. Only open it for that. Okay?"

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Steve wondered aloud.

"Trust me, Steve. Just trust me." The super soldier paused as he stood in the doorway of his bedroom as Mack gave one last remark before she hung up. "Steve… bring your shield."

Her last words made him realize that something hadn't just scared her.

Mack was terrified.

Steve had finished packing his bag less than twenty minutes later, and had set it and the case holding his shield in the living room by the time three quick knocks hit the door. He crossed the room immediately and opened the door. Mack slipped in without another word, carrying two bags with her. Judging from the small metallic sounds coming from the one, he assumed she had brought half her knife collection.

"Mack, what is going on?" he demanded as he closed the door, trying to keep his calm when he saw the expression on her face. She was terrified. The last time he had seen that look was when he had pinned her to the ground when he had gone through his first flashback.

He was never going to forgive himself for that.

"General Ross of the United States military is making a play to get to you." Her words surprised him, and he wondered why she so scared. "Steve, trust me, this is bad. This is very, very bad. We have to get out."

"What do you mean, we have to get out of here?" Steve demanded.

"We have to get out of New York. He'll figure out something to take you into custody – he's obsessed with the super soldier serum, Steve, that's why he's trying to get you." Mack ran a hand through her hair, and Steve watched as she fiddled with the bracelet on her hand.

"Mack, I've got nothing to hide, okay? It's okay," he told her. He grabbed her shoulders, trying to keep her in pace as she started pacing. "I can talk to him, okay? I can talk to General Ross-"

"He's insane, Steve, you can't reason with him!" she snapped back, and for the first time in a while he saw the anger dancing in her eyes.

Steve took a deep breath, trying to figure out how he was going to calm down the agent in front of him. "Mack-"

"Steve, this is not the 1940s, alright!? General Ross is not Phillips!" Mack ran a hand through her hair before turning back to him, and Steve saw the actual panic in her eyes. "General Ross is insane and dangerous. If he gets his hands on you…"

"What?" Steve demanded, looking down at her. Her reaction was actually surprising him. "What will he do?"

"I don't know. And I don't know what I'll do," Mack admitted, biting her lip. Her eyes looked strangely shiny for a few moments, and Steve frowned when he wondered if she had been about to cry. "You cannot trust General Ross. You cannot reason with him. He's dangerous, Steve, and if he goes far enough… he'll kill you to reproduce the serum."

He felt as though he was back in the ice for a few seconds. Steve shook his head, releasing her shoulders as he crossed his arms across his chest. Steve shook his head. "So you're asking me to run?" he demanded.

"I'm asking you to trust me." Mack sighed before looking back at Steve, a desperate plea in her eyes. "Do you trust me?"

Steve's answer came without hesitation. "Yes."

Mack nodded, relieved, and shot him a half-relieved smile. "Then just follow me."

Steve watched as she walked away, heading down the hallway and towards the elevator. Steve shook his head before grabbing his duffel and the case that held his shield, hoping that he wasn't about to get in over his head again.

But then again, getting in over his head seemed to be a common occurrence whenever Mack got involved.

They were at an airfield less than an hour later. Mack was out of the jeep in an instant, hurrying across the tarmac and waiting for him at the steps of the plane. He followed her after grabbing his back, frowning as he walked up into the plane.

Steve hesitated as he entered the cabin. "This is the first time I've been on a plane since…" His voice trailed off as he looked around. He knew it wasn't like the HYDRA plane he had crashed. But at the same time, it only took a few moments for Steve to remember every bit of that ordeal.

Don't you dare be late.

"You were technically on two planes since then," Mack replied, slipping past him before tossing her bag onto the floor of the cabin. "One that took you from the Arctic to a SHIELD base, and then one that took you from the SHIELD base to New York."

"I was unconscious. It doesn't count." Steve shook his head. "Promise me I'm not going to crash this time." He was only half-joking.

"We're not going to crash." Mack shot him an encouraging smile before adding, "You're not flying anyway. I know the pilot, Jeremy, he's damned good. We're not crashing."

Steve nodded as he looked around, a bit surprised. "How long are we going to be gone?" he asked her, crossing his arms as he watched her pull out her phone.

"Fury is negotiating to figure out a way to keep Ross away." Mack bit her lip and her eyes narrowed in what Steve recognized was the first sign that she was getting angry. "It could be anywhere from a few days to a week." She paused as she waited before speaking into her phone, "Director Fury, Captain Rogers and I are on the plane, ready to go."

She listened carefully, and Steve watched her. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, and she gave a short giggle before snapping back to serious. "Understood, Director Fury. I'll wait for word." She hung up the phone, shrugging to herself. "We're good to go."

"Anything else I should know?" Steve asked.

"Fury's apparently babysitting my dog." Steve stared down at her, and she shrugged, though he caught the mischievous look in her eyes. "Hey, you took care of him when I was hospitalized, and Miss Argent is in Massachusetts for the next month. He hates Moreau and Connor, Cecelia's terrified of dogs, and Tori's allergic. And since Natasha and Clint are both gone, that means Fury is responsible for my dog apparently."

"The Director of SHIELD is babysitting your dog," Steve summarized, unable to stop the small smile from crossing his face.

"Apparently. That's probably the best mental image I've ever had in my life." Mack sighed before pulling open her bag, searching around before pulling out the files. "This is everything we have on General Ross and the Hulk incident, including our reports on the Battle of Harlem."

"Hulk?" Steve asked as he took the file. He opened it, frowning as he took a look at the photo of the man – General Thaddeus Ross. "How bad was this incident?"

Mack winced. She remembered the pictures and reports that had come after the battles at Culver and Harlem last year. Natasha had nearly been killed observing the Battle of Harlem. "You'll see when you read the file. But trust me… Ross is dangerous, and getting out of the US is the best thing we can do right now."

"Wait a minute, we're leaving the country?" Steve demanded, staring at her in shock. "Is that really necessary?"

"Ross has powerful friends, Steve. If he wants you and you're still in the country, he'll get you. Since I'm not too eager to fight off government agents, getting out of here is for the best." Mack bit her lip as she added, "Trust me, remember?"

"You know that I do," Steve muttered, and Mack was proud that she managed to hide the blush that came with it. "Where are we going?"

Mack raised an eyebrow as she shot him a weak smile. "Promise you're not going to get mad?"

Steve stared at her suspiciously. "Mack, where are we going?" he repeated, his voice a bit harder as he stepped forward, an eyebrow rising as he looked down at her.

Mack gave him a half embarrassed, half nervous smile. "Europe. To be more specific, London," she finally replied, pulling her hair back.

Steve froze. He knew exactly what she was planning. "No." He could not believe she was pulling this. Oh, wait, yes he could, because it was Mack and of course she would pull this on him. "Dammit, Mack, you have got to be kidding me-"

"Steve, she's dying." The super soldier flinched before looking back down at her. Mack hesitated before adding, "She has cancer. It's terminal. Peggy only has a few months left, and…" She bit her lip before looking away. "I know you. If she dies and you don't see her, you're never going to forgive yourself."

He didn't answer, and instead walked away, to the other side of the plane, the file in hand, and sat down. Mack rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in the air before sitting down on the opposite end of the plane. She took one last glance at him as the plane went into the air, hoping that she was making the right choice.

"I hate running like this."

There was less than an hour left into their flight when Steve finally spoke to her again. Mack raised an eyebrow as the super soldier sat across from her, scowling as he looked out the window. "Once you start running," he murmured. "They never let you stop."

"We're not running." Mack's voice was firm. "Strategic retreat. New York isn't safe for you right now, not when Ross could have access to you. Fury's going to figure out a way to get Ross off your back though. We have enough on him to get rid of him; we just have to give Fury some time to make a move."

Steve nodded. "I looked at the files." An almost unreadable look came over his face, though it took Mack only a few seconds to realize that it was almost guilty. "Doctor Banner suffered the consequences for that experiment."

"You were the only successful test subject for the serum. There were attempts to recreate it, but each ended in disaster in some way, shape or form. Your success makes you a target for HYDRA, and for Ross." Mack looked back at him, biting her lip before she repeated, "You're not running, Steve."

He didn't look at her. "It feels like I am."

"You're not running away from Ross. You're going to see an old friend."

The flinch Steve gave wasn't very visible, but Mack noticed it instantly. She knew Steve's body language after spending the month with him. The downside to that was that Steve knew how to read her just as well. She hated it enough that Clint could read her like an open book.

It was worse that Steve knew how to figure her out.

"She's really dying?" Steve asked, his voice breaking a bit.

Mack nodded softly. "She didn't want to tell you. She worried that it would force you to come and see her, and she wanted it to be your choice, whenever you thought you were ready."

"I don't… I don't even know, Mack." Steve ran a hand through his hair again, and Mack noticed the signs of frustration and sadness crossing his handsome features. "There are four people left in the world that I knew back then. And I'm going to lose one of them."

Mack hesitated. "I told you I called them when we found you in the ice, right?"

Steve nodded, looking back at her curiously.

"They were so happy when I told them you were alive." Mack gave a distant smile as she looked out the plane window. "Steve, they were so relieved. I'm good with French, but with how fast Dernier was talking, it was almost impossible to understand him. Jones starting cackling, saying that he knew it all along that you survived. Dugan hung up on me and yelled at Fury to see if it was a joke. Tori told you how he hasn't stopped talking about you. And Peggy… she was so happy, Steve. I don't know her very well, but I could tell. She loves you."

"I love her," Steve murmured, and Mack felt her heart break a little bit. She watched as he looked anywhere but her. "I miss her, Mack. So much."

"You don't have to see her," Mack told him quietly. "This is your choice, Steve. This is an opportunity for it… but only you can decide if you want to see her. The safe house we're going to is in downtown London, but she's outside of it. This is your choice."

Mack respected Steve far too much to force him into something. He had already trusted her today, and she was going to make sure that his trust wasn't misplaced.

Whether that trust would survive when he found out about her HYDRA investigation, Mack wasn't sure. For now, she wasn't going to worry about that.

The super soldier was silent for a few minutes, looking out the windows. Mack watched as he played with the compass she knew had Peggy's picture in it. She was surprised to realize that she was playing around with her charm bracelet, in particular with the small, blood-stained eagle charm.

"I want to see her," Steve finally murmured. He closed his eyes as he leaned back in his seat. "I owe her a dance."

Author's Note: So, next chapter includes a scene that has been written since the very beginning of this story. It has been planned since the very beginning, and is one of the biggest scenes of the story in terms of importance. That scene is also the first scene I've ever written that made me cry. I'm not talking tearing up. I was actually legitimately crying over it.

Damn you, Bohemia, for making me cry.

But writing a protective Mack? That's a blast. It'll get more fun when they get mutually protective of each other.

There's also a very high chance that chapter will be up tonight. If not, tomorrow morning, because it leads into a fun arc – the final arc before Avengers. AGH GUYS WE'VE ALMOST MADE IT TO AVENGERS. :D

Also, if the preview doesn't tell you EVERYTHING about how sad next chapter is… well, just bring Kleenex and prepare to drown in feels. Thanks as always for reading, please review so we can all bond over how much Ross sucks.

Chapter 21 - Keeping a Promise
"You're late."