A/N: Early update because I just couldn't wait to post it! This one will hurt. Just a pre-warning. So many feels, of all kinds. But, I hope you enjoy it anyway :)

Big thanks to: xxxI. Love. Purple. Flowers. xxx and Jacxx for following this story.

Review Response(s):

NESSAANCALIME6913: Yes, yes it is... :)

Lara Barnes: Lucky for you the wait is shorter than normal ;) Hope you enjoy it.

Eryniel Alasse: Yes, it is THE chapter. Haha, enjoy, and I'm glad you liked the letters.

angelAnabiel: I would have liked to put more details about Asgard in too, but that would have made the chapter so long that I'd probably half felt the need to split it into two. I wanted to make sure it was only one chapter, so I had to omit some details. Glad to hear you liked it still, though. As for Agent Silva, I've had a lot of people speculating who she is... You'll find out soon, I promise.

Bookcrazey: Yeah, everyone always talks about how being immortal would be awesome, and every time I just kind of stand there like... 'You're all insane.' In the nicest way possible, of course, but living that long without ageing would figuratively kill me.

25 - Over In A Second

James couldn't help but glare at the woman in front of him, who just gave him a blank-faced look.

"When you gave me that file, and told me to come seek you out if I had questions, I didn't expect you to be in a completely different country when I looked for you," he said coldly.

Silva rolled her eyes. "I got pulled away on a mission. After I gave you the file, I might add. I had every intention of remaining close at hand, but plans change sometimes." She gave him a searching look. "I assume you know everything...?"

"I've read the file, and all her letters, if that's what you mean," he replied, pushing away from the wall he'd been leaning against. "Daphne told me I can trust you, and for her sake, I will." He paused, narrowing his eyes, before asking the question he'd been desperate to ask for two days. "Will you take me to her?"

Silva nodded. "Yes. But I warn you, she's probably not exactly the same woman that you remember."

"She's Daphne," he said simply. "That will never change."

Silva chuckled. "Yes, that's true, I suppose." She smiled at him, quite possibly the first wide and genuine smile he'd seen her give. "Well, come on, then. You might be impatient, but she's been waiting a damn sight longer than you."

James couldn't quite comprehend why Agent Silva insisted on dropping by her house and picking up a damned dog, but when he'd expressed his frustration she'd looked him dead in the eyes and told him it was important.

Now they were stood on a hill above a beach, the German shepherd dog, Felix, restlessly wiggling, his eyes fixed further down the beach on something even James couldn't see. Agent Silva unhooked the leash and the beast bounded away, heading eagerly down towards the beach.

"I'm not going to go with you," Silva told him. "Just follow Felix - he'll lead you right to her."

Swallowing back the sudden tightness in his throat, James nodded, before trailing behind the dog, trying to ignore the racing of his heart in his chest.

If he was feeling this nervous and excited, he had no idea how Daphne would be feeling. He almost feared to find out.

James watched with sharp eyes as Felix continued to race ahead, barking loudly. It took a moment before he noticed an undoubtedly female figure turn around, only to lean down and catch the excitable dog in her arms. He could hear Felix's eager yelps from here.

His slow pace continued, giving her the chance to reunite with the animal which he now suspected belonged to her.

Suddenly her head turned up, and she laid eyes on him for the first time. His feet started carrying him faster when he saw her put Felix down, only to race towards him. As soon as she was within reach he swept her off her feet, planting a hot kiss on her lips, eyes closed as he tried to savour the moment. His heart threatened to burst pit of his chest, the love and joy and relief he felt nearly overwhelming him.

It flooded his whole body with warmth, with such tenderness and intensity it nearly made his limbs shake. The relief that clawed through him broke his heart even more, and then put it back together with stronger bonds and a protective layer that he'd never let go of again. His love for her flared and grew to levels he thought could never be reached. He didn't think he could love her more, but in that moment, he realised he was wrong. There was no limit for this love he felt. It would grow with every second he spent with or without her, whether they were in each others arms or at opposite ends of a room or half a world apart. That burning feeling in his chest would never stop expanding. And he welcomed it, because if he felt like this every time he saw her, he'd never want to be apart from her for a single second ever again. It consumed him so wholly and completely. She consumed him. She had him wrapped around her little finger so tightly that they might as well have been one person. And, Gods, did he love it.

He loved having her in his arms, feeling her warmth pressed against his body, feeling her lips moving against his own. Her loved the weight of her body as he cradled her to him. He loved the feeling of her love, how it wrapped itself around his shoulders like that coat he'd offered her once. Like her at the time, he wasn't cold, but the warmth of her affection was one he'd always need and would never let escape his grasp.

Daphne's hands came to rest on his shoulders and she eagerly kissed his lips, his nose, his eyes, his cheeks, his forehead... Everywhere she could reach, she kissed, before she buried her face in his neck and began sobbing. James' hold on her tightened, his heart clenching at the sound of her pain.

"It's okay," he told her softly. "I'm here. We're both okay."

"It's been so long," she choked out. "I've missed you so much!"

James nodded. "I've missed you too," he said. He laughed humourlessly. "Probably nowhere near as much, but I missed you all the same." He pulled her head back again and kissed her firmly, his tongue gently stroking hers. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you," she said in return, before murmuring what he suspected was that very same phrase in several different languages between their eager kisses. He only understood it when it finally escaped her lips in Russian. "I love you, James."

At last she fell into his arms, leaning her head on his shoulder while his cheek came to rest on the top of her head. He held her tightly to him, and she did the same, both equally afraid that if they ever let go, they'd be separated from one another all over again. And neither were sure they'd survive it a second time.

James jerked slightly when he felt a foreign weight against his leg, and Daphne laughed, both of them looking down at the large dog who had sat himself right next to James, his tongue lolling out at the side as he looked up at them both with bright eyes. As if he knew the importance of what had just happened.

"Stupid dog," Daphne said fondly, crouching down to gently pet the dog. He barked at her, seemingly agreeing with her words, before his head swivelled to look up at James. He suddenly became inquisitive, standing up on all fours and slowly circling him, sniffing intently at James' legs and feet.

He was bewildered, having never had a dog before. "Um... what is he doing?"

"He's deciding whether or not he likes you," Daphne told him. He raised an eyebrow at her. Daphne chuckled. "Don't worry - most of the time, if I like you, he'll like you too."

James chuckled and gently scratched Felix behind his ear when the large dog looked up at him again. Felix moved his head to avoid James' hand, and then started licking his fingers. James grimaced slightly, pulling his hand away. "You're a right little charmer, aren't you?" he asked the dog, laughing when Felix barked again. James looked at Daphne, who was eyeing him with a tender expression on his face. "What?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I just got the impression you wouldn't like dogs very much."

"Just because I've never had one before doesn't mean I don't like them," he pointed out, watching as the dog started sniffing the floor again, before following whatever scent had caught his interest. "My family weren't exactly the most well-off people in Brooklyn. My parents could barely afford to look after us, let alone a pet as well."

She nodded. "They can be quite expensive," she said, before smiling and pouncing at him again. James chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm never going to leave you again," Daphne murmured. "Not once." She sighed, pressing a kiss against the side of his neck. "I love you, James."

James shifted so he could plant another kiss on her lips, relishing in the way her grasp on him tightened ever so slightly. "I love you, Daphne. Now. Always." Daphne suddenly gave him a mischievous grin, before taking his hand and starting to drag him along the beach. James laughed, following after her. "Where are we going?"

Her grin became a smirk. "I may or may not have been informed that there is a cabin on the top of that hill over there." He followed the point of her finger, and saw the vague outline of a building through the darkness. "And we may or may not have said cabin completely to ourselves for the next three days."

Without another word, James ducked down and swiped her feet out from underneath her, carrying her in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We best make the most of it then, huh, doll?"

Daphne smiled coyly at him. "You took the words right out of my mouth, sweetheart."

When I woke up the next morning I just lay there, eyes closed, trying to hold onto the feeling of wholeness that had cradled me so gently over the night. It wasn't long before I let out a sigh and forced myself to face reality. So I opened my eyes, planning on continuing on with my life like I had for the last 77 years.

Only to come face to face with a muscular, bare chest.

Blinking slightly, then frowning, I lifted my gaze, taking note of the heavily scarred left shoulder, the metal arm, until, finally, my eyes fell on the fuzzy chin of the man I loved.

It wasn't a dream.

I had no words to describe the wash of emotion that soared through me at that moment, but, for the first time in almost longer than I could remember, I just felt... complete. When I blinked again, I felt a single droplet of water escape my eye. I watched it fall onto James' skin, and almost laughed when he twitched like he'd been poked in a particularly ticklish spot.

The thought made a grin stretch on to my lips. I slowly lifted myself off of his chest, part of me melting slightly when he let out a small sound of disappointment, before I jabbed two fingers into his side. Faster than I could blink he had sat up, grabbed my shoulders, and pinned me back down on the bed.

His eyes were completely clear (not to mention gleaming far too deviously for my liking), which told me he hadn't been sleeping at all.

"That wasn't very nice," he said, giving me a lazy grin that could only be described as content.

I shrugged. "I haven't seen you for almost eight decades - let me have some fun."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Did last night not count? Not only did you see an awful lot of me, you also seemed to enjoy yourself quite a lot, if I do say so myself. And more than once."

I rolled my eyes. "You're unbelievable."

He placed a quick peck on my lips. "It's one of the many things you love about me, I'm sure."

I groaned. "Gods, if I'd known you'd be like this when we woke up, I'd have never slept with you."

"Yes, you would," he said confidently, rolling over and pulling me so I was resting my head on his chest again. "Because, let's be honest here, you needed it a lot more than I did."

"Okay," I said, moving to stand up, "I'm going to go feed the dog before I hit you."

"I'm sure I wouldn't argue," James said, catching me and pulling me back against him. "And you're not going anywhere, missy."

"James, I can't let Felix starve just because you want me to be a teddy bear this morning."

James let out a small grunt of complaint. "Fine," he grumbled, "but only if you promise to come straight back here once you're done."

I chuckled. "Fine, fine." And then he let go of me, allowing me to climb out of bed. I wasn't unaware of the fact his eyes followed every one of my movements as I scooped up his shirt and threw it on, the hem of the shirt only barely covering the tops of my thighs. As soon as I opened the bedroom door there was an excitable dog leaping up at me. I let out a huff when his front paws landed heavily on my stomach. "Okay, okay, I'm coming." I patted Felix on the head, before ushering him back into the kitchen. He circled me eagerly as I pulled out his bowl and poured in his breakfast. As soon as I'd put the bowl on the ground he shoved his nose in it, noisily munching on his food.

Holding back a yawn, I padded back to the bedroom, shutting the door behind me as I went. James sat up as soon as I was close enough for him to reach, tugging me back onto the mattress. I laughed, landing comfortably with my head on his lap. He sat up, smiling down at me with a softness to his gaze that I hadn't seen since before the war. He truly seemed like he couldn't have been happier. And that made my insides strangely warm.

James' metal hand came to rest on my head, his fingers running themselves through my hair. "Is it bad that I still can't believe you're really here?" he asked quietly.

I shrugged. "When I woke up this morning, I honestly thought it had all been a dream."

He nodded. "So did I. A hell of a good dream, but a dream nonetheless." He leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead. "I can't tell you how pleased I was when I woke up and realised it was real."

I chuckled. "I think I have a good idea," I murmured, sitting up and pressing my lips against his. While my intentions were entirely innocent, the moment his hands fell to my waist and tugged me closer to him, those innocent intentions went out the window immediately.

I was lying on James' chest, feeling completely exhausted but in the best kind of way. I glanced up half-heartedly when I felt James' finger gently start to trace a complicated pattern on my arm, dancing it's way up from my elbow to my shoulder. A slight frown flickered onto his face as he twirled a lock of my hair around said finger. "Can I ask you a question?"

I smiled wanly, knowing this was going to come sooner or later. "Of course."

He hesitated for a moment. "You never told me what it was Philips said to you the day Steve rescued us."

"You never asked," I pointed out, but upon receiving an unamused expression in return I let out a sigh. I captured his hand in my own and held it firmly, drawing strength from his secure grip. "I don't know how to say this sensitively," I admitted. "It's huge, and even now it hurts like hell. Are you sure you want to know?"

He sat up, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed while I settled my head in his lap again. James then dipped his head down and kissed my forehead, his hair tickling my face. "Please," he pleaded softly.

I sighed again, nodding. "Alright," I relented. "When I first went back, I met Colonel Philips almost immediately. I landed in an old army base. The shift through time left me exhausted, which meant I didn't stay conscious for long. When I woke up, he was the one to greet me. He..." I cut myself off, biting my lip as I tried not to let this get to me too much, but it was hard. It was so hard. "He told me that I had a miscarriage upon arriving there." I felt James stiffen underneath me, but couldn't bring myself to look at him. "I assumed it was a result of Hydra's testing when we were in England (and in the end I discovered I wasn't wrong), so I just ignored it. Forgot about it. The day of the race, Philips pulled me aside to tell me he'd conducted some DNA tests that day. A match came up, and..." I flinched, feeling James' hand tighten around mine. He knew where this was going. I clenched my eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears I could feel coming. "It was ours, James," I finally managed to spit out. "It was our baby. And I lost it, because of them. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

That was the end for me. I turned my head into his stomach and began sobbing, my arms wrapping around him as I let myself truly feel that familiar pain for the first time in years.

James was completely still, making no noise. I almost believed he hadn't even heard until a warm drop of water splashed onto my neck. I sat up slowly and finally managed to drag up the courage to look at him.

What I saw broke my heart.

James looked like he was in agony, his lips parted and tears sliding freely down his cheeks. His eyes stared at the wall, unseeing. He blinked slowly, then turned his head towards me. The moment our eyes met, something within us both just... broke.

I let out another shuddering sob and found myself being drawn into his arms. We clung to each other as our sorrow escaped, as our pain overwhelmed us both. I cried into his shoulder and he cried into mine, and despite everything, I couldn't help but be grateful he was here again. I hated that a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but I was glad that I had finally been able to tell him the truth.

"I love you, and I'm sorry," I whispered, wincing when his hold on me only tightened.

"It's not your fault," he whispered. "It's not your fault." He pressed a shaky kiss to my neck. "I love you."

And for a while we just sat there, holding each other and mourning the loss of our child. It was only as the sun reached its peak in the sky that our emotional exhaustion pulled us into sleep.

Just a reminder that for those of you who want the more mature content for this story, CheekyLittleFoxy and I have teamed up.

Here's the link, if you don't want to go on a scavenger hunt looking for the right story (just tag it onto the fanfiction address): /s/12178142/1/Behind-Closed-Doors