The Mess That We'll Become
Chapter 25: Blanket
Rory stared down at the intel for the mission she was headed out on, trying not to feel disappointed she hadn't seen Steve before she left. They had a ritual before missions now since she was reinstated which was they would at least steal a kiss for good luck before either of them left. Today however Steve's session with Holstein had conflicted with her leaving time and she hadn't been able to see him. She was disappointed as his kisses were amazing but more importantly, his words of encouragement stayed with her throughout her entire mission which helped a lot.
She could feel her bottom lip sticking out a mile but kept her eyes studiously on her intel. It wasn't like she needed the kiss from him. She just… liked it. Like the thrill of stealing something no one else knew about. Secrets were always fun, especially in a place that thrived on finding out secrets.
"Dugan? You with us?" Clint kicked the toe of her boot to get her attention and she looked up with wide eyes.
"What?" She asked, blinking at him and Agent Grant Ward in confusion.
"We asked if you were ready for this?" Grant replied, his raised eyebrows coming off disbelieving and arrogant. Her eyes narrowed. She did not like that man at all.
"Of course I'm ready." She snapped, her gaze sliding over to Clint.
"Good. Would hate to put down in the report that you were distracted and your psych picked up on it. There are lots of ways they could interpret that." Ward continued, his arms folding across his broad chest.
Rory's head whipped up and she narrowed her eyes as she looked at his smirking face. How did he know about that? No one was meant to know about her sessions with Holstein. It was meant to be confidential but apparently SHIELD was really great at letting things leak. She opened her mouth to reply but Clint spoke instead.
"Knock it off, Ward. It'll be good to work with Rory again." Clint grinned, dropping into the seat beside her. Ward waved a hand and walked to the other side of the Quinjet to check his phone. Rory rolled her eyes.
The two had never gotten along. He'd been the year below her at the academy and their paths had only crossed a handful of times. Every single time she was reminded of why she didn't like him.
"Arrogant son of a bitch, isn't he?" She commented coolly, her eyes dropping back to her tablet.
"He doesn't usually work on a team but we've been ordered to try something new with him." Clint shrugged. "He's the best at what he does. Almost beat Natasha and Melinda's scores. Just under yours, actually."
"Oh I know." She said, rolling her eyes. "I've been told. Still doesn't make him any less of an asshole."
"Hey, c'mon kid, I'm really glad to have you with me on this. It'll be just like old times except you know what you're doing this time." Clint elbowed her affectionately. "Just don't go getting that crush on me again, huh?" he grinned as she glanced up at him. She poked her tongue out and shoved him back lightly. "Or do. It's totally up to you. Probably wouldn't say no. I am single now." He chuckled, holding up his hands. He winked at her and she laughed.
"Barton!" She exclaimed, shoving his shoulder a little harder.
"I'm just saying! I'm not married anymore. You're older and wiser…"
"Ugh, wise enough to know better. You're older too, you ass." She laughed, shaking her head. "So this girl…" She gestured to the intel on her lap. "You think Hydra will make a play for her on this mission?"
"We have a decent feeling that we're gonna get in there first. We hope to anyway." Clint nodded, glancing down at the image of their target. "She's crazy powerful so we need to really be on our toes with her."
Rory nodded and clicked open the file again. Jessica Drew. Age 23. Tall, blonde and superpowered like hell. Raised by Hydra but broke away from them when she was 19 and went into hiding. "We've been searching for her for 12 months?"
"Yeah I remember, I was there when Fury found her the first time and told her the truth about her life. She didn't take it too well and did a runner on us."
"I would probably run too." Rory muttered, looking at the face of the blonde in the photo.
"The girl packs a serious punch with those bioelectric stings though. I watched her take down 6 of our men without even blinking." Clint rubbed the back of his neck. "She's fucking hot." Rory smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "What? I have a thing for blondes."
"And brunettes and red heads and just about every colour on the spectrum." She rolled her eyes, turning off the screen.
"Yeah but the only one I actually married was a blonde so I'm putting it down as my preference." Clint muttered, rolling his eyes.
Rory smiled. "So what's the plan?"
"Plan is we've sent her an invitation to an exclusive club opening in London. The Excelsior. She'll be there and we'll corner her in the club." Clint explained, clicking his own tablet on and showing her pictures of the club in question.
"You're gonna shove me in a short skirt and heels and make me bond with her, aren't you?" Rory groaned.
"Well, yeah. How else are you gonna blend in?" Clint shrugged. "I'm glad to have you here." He smiled and Rory rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed lightly, closing the file.
"I just hate feeling like my every move is being scrutinised. I found out my parents were murdered, big deal." She explained to him after a few seconds, wishing she could talk to Steve about the nerves in her stomach. She'd been back on 3 missions but this one was bigger than those and more like what she used to do. She knew all eyes were on her on this one, to make sure she didn't have a mental break or some shit like that. It frustrated her, made her doubt herself.
"You've also decided to run yourself into the ground by searching for their killer. That is the big deal, cupcake." Clint shook his head. "Fury's worried about you. I mean, how many bosses can say they watched their agent grow up?"
"I guess."
"You know I'm right."
Rory's phone buzzed and she pulled it out. Clint stood up. "It'll be just like old times, I know it." He ruffled her hair. "Get some sleep, Dugan." He said, "That's an order." he added before he walked away,
Rory smiled and looked down at her phone.
1 New Message
Rogers, Steve:
I missed our
kiss :(
The tension she didn't realise she was holding seemed to evaporate from her body and she moved to the back of the quinjet where there was a bunk waiting for her.
Reply:
You did but
I guess I'll
forgive you.
She slid into the bunk on the left and curled up as best she could. Her phone buzzed again.
1 New Message
Rogers, Steve:
You guess? You're
gonna make me beg,
aren't you?
She smiled.
Reply:
On your knees type deal.
She didn't have to wait long for the next message.
1 New Message
Rogers, Steve:
For you, doll,
anything. Where
are you going?
Reply:
London. We're
about 5 hours
out. I've been
ordered to sleep.
1 New Message
Rogers, Steve:
You should. You
haven't slept in
days.
Reply:
I slept the other day
with you.
1 New Message
Rogers, Steve:
Yeah, because I
exhausted you.
A thrill went down Rory's spine. It had been three weeks that they'd been secretly screwing behind everyone's backs and the only time she really slept was when she was with him. There was a safety net when he was around and she knew that if she had a nightmare he would wake her up and protect her from her own mind.
Reply:
Well I'll try and
sleep but I think
I might need exhausting
again…
1 New Message
Rogers, Steve:
That can definitely
be arranged,
sweetheart. When
you get back.
Go and sleep. You'll
be great I know it. X
Rory smiled as she clicked off her phone and she closed her eyes feeling a little more confident about the mission at hand.
The music was loud and full of base that reverberated through Rory's core as she walked around the club beside Grant. The drink in her hand was a prop to try and blend with their surroundings.
Jessica, who they'd found after they realised she'd dyed her hair brown instead of her natural blonde, was on the dance floor with Clint, dancing closely with him. Her hands were everywhere and Clint looked like a cat that ate the canary. Twice he'd muttered into the earpieces about this being the best gig ever and Rory had had to remind him that this was a retrieval op and not a Saturday night pick-up.
Rory sipped her drink, standing beside Ward while she watched both Jessica and the crowd for signs of Hydra closing in. So far it seemed pretty tame, Jessica was dancing with a guy who seemed to be struck dumb by her.
"Can't we wrap this up now?" Ward asked after a moment. He looked bored and rigid and it was hard for Rory to imagine Ward ever having fun.
"Give him a bit to invite her outside at least." Rory replied dryly, sipping her drink. "I mean he's good but he's not that good." Her eyes scanned over the crowd, trying to pick out anyone who looked suspicious. No one seemed out of place at all in the packed club. Everyone was smiling, having a good time.
Except one face that she spotted across the bar. A face that haunted her dreams and plagued her thoughts.
Zemo.
A smile spread across his face when their eyes locked in the flashing strobe lights. Blood pounded in Rory's ears, blocking out the music. She stepped away from Ward, her mind and eyes locked onto Zemo, needing to get to him through the crowd. She reached for the gun inside her purse…
Ward grabbed her arm.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?" She tugged away from him, not taking her eyes off Zemo. Her drink sloshed in the glass, spilling on her dress and shoes. "Let me go, Zemo is here… He's –" Two people crossed in front of her vision and when they moved, Zemo had vanished. "Shit." She swore, darting away from Ward. She shoved through the crowd, toward where she'd last seen him. Her head whipped from side to side as she looked for him. She teetered on her shoes as she turned a complete circle.
"North, what the hell are you doing?" Clint said in the earpiece, his voice muffled.
"Zemo's here, Hawk… He's…" She paused, placing her finger to her ear. The music was louder now and she was having trouble hearing. Spots tingled her vision as she started to panic.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." She nodded. Ward was right at her side again, pulling her the other way. "No… I don't know I only… I only caught a glimpse."
"Can we focus on the mission, please?" Ward asked her, letting out an impatient sigh.
"Rory, focus on the mission and we'll look for Zemo soon. He may be here for her," Clint said. There was a pause and Rory heard a swallow as he downed his drink. "Which means we have to move quick."
Rory nodded, pulling her arm from Ward's again. "Yeah, ok. Hydra is here." She tried to focus her mind but she was on high alert, adrenalin pumping through her veins. "Keep your eyes out for their agents."
"I know how to do my job." Ward rolled his eyes and Rory bit back a curse aimed at him. She spotted two men in dark clothes by the bar opposite Clint and one closing in on him.
"Barton you've got company. Your 12 o'clock." Rory said as she three more agents came into view to the left of her, cutting off their exit. She nudged Ward, who nudged back, letting her know he saw them too.
"Rory, Drew is headed your way. Going to the bathroom." Clint's voice rang in her ear and Rory saw Jessica heading toward her and Ward. Thinking fast, she grabbed Ward's hands and pulled him directly in the path of Jessica, plastering herself over him and cupping his face in her hands. She pressed her hips against his and as Jessica stepped beside her, she let out a laugh, pushing Grant away. "Stop, wait ok. I need the bathroom." She said, her tone playful and loud. She took another step back straight into Jessica, knocking the girl a little. "Oops, sorry!" She turned and blinked with wide eyes at the brunette.
"No harm," Jessica smiled. She glanced over at Ward, who looked a little bewildered. "Has he asked you to marry him yet?"
"Only about a dozen times." Rory rolled her eyes, giving Ward a wink.
"Yeah, mine too. Men these days, think they gave kiss a girl once and they're in love." Jessica laughed and pressed on to the bathroom. Rory followed her, glancing around to see four Hydra agents getting closer and closer. Zemo wasn't one of them, a fact that both disappointed and relieved her.
"Oh I know. Where has the excitement gone? I mean, I can understand with you, you're stupidly pretty –"
"Oh stop." Jessica laughed, shaking her head. "You've got the red-headed, porcelain doll thing going on." The girl waved her hand. They walked into the ladies and she disappeared into a stall. Rory stepped up to the mirror. One other stall was occupied but the bathroom was thankfully empty.
"We'll disarm the agents we can see. Tell Jessica everything and find a way out, Rory. That is a direct order." Clint barked orders at her down the line and she nodded, knowing they couldn't see her.
"Oh shoot, I lost my gloss!" Rory said as Jessica flushed her toilet and stepped out to wash her hands.
"Here, I've got some." Jessica reached for hers and handed it to Rory. "So are you and the boy here on a holiday?" she asked, readjusting her cleavage in her skimpy dress. The stall behind them flushed and a girl stumbled out to wash her hands.
"I'm on holiday, I met him here." Rory nodded, swiping the lippy over her lips. She pouted and handed it back. "I needed to escape my life and I couldn't think of a better place to do it."
"Oh I know that feeling." Jessica fluffed her hair. The drunk girl disappeared out the door and Rory followed her, locking the door as she disappeared back into the club. Rory turned around to face Jessica. "What are you-" Jessica looked bewildered and Rory exhaled sharply.
"Jessica Drew. I know who you are." Rory said, taking her bag from around her shoulders and dumping it on the counter. She rummaged through it, picking up her gun, a couple of small knives and a taser. She strapped them to her to be ready. "I'm Agent Dugan with SHIELD."
"Are you kidding me?" Jessica deadpanned. Rory glanced at her and found her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're not taking me in."
"It's either that or Hydra kill you." Rory shrugged, cocking her gun with a loud click. Jessica's eyes widened and went from her gun to the door.
"They found me?"
"Yeah and they're out there." Rory nodded. She placed a finger to her ear. "Hawk, what's the situation like out there?" She asked.
"Ugh fucking hell. I really liked it here." Jessica sighed, shaking her head. "You guys ruin everything."
"They haven't approached the door – "
"Hey, it's not us." Rory shook her head as Clint continued.
"You and Jess need to get out of there asap. There's a back way out of this club so when you exit take a sharp left toward the bar and go through the doors to the kitchen. Grant and I will follow. Extraction in 15. Hyde Park. West side"
"Hyde Park, got it." Rory nodded and looked up at Jess. "My team are holding them off so we have to get out of here as quick as possible." Jessica looked uncertain and Rory paused. "We won't let them get you, Ms Drew." She assured the woman.
Jessica didn't make any move to leave.
"Say I trust you - what's stopping SHIELD from using me like Hydra did? I'm pretty powerful. I could kill both your team, and theirs, and run again." Jessica checked her nails but there were small tells that let Rory know she was scared. She was chewing on the inside of her cheek and her foot was tapping the ground nervously. It dawned on Rory that she'd been doing this for a while, that Jessica for all her bravado was just a scared girl who was sick of running.
"You could," Rory nodded slowly. "or you could let me help you, we leave here together and then you have my word that SHIELD won't use you for anything unless you want to help." Rory stuck out her hand.
"You can't make that promise Aurora." Ward bitched in her ear. She ignored him, looking from her hand to Jessica.
"How do you know that?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in sceptically.
"Because Captain America wanted what you want and I promised him the same thing." Rory said with determination and conviction.
Jessica's eyes widened at Rory's words and she seemed to be weighing up her options.
"Rory, moving now would be fantastic." Clint grunted. "There's one by the –" There was a loud bang and Clint was cut off. Rory drew her gun and shoved Jessica her to the other side of the bathroom as the door flew open. Clint sailed through, landing on his back with a Hydra agent on top of him.
Rory stepped forward and delivered an impressive roundhouse kick to the agent's face, sending him sprawling to his back on the tiled floor. Clint flipped the guy the rest of the way off him and scrambled to his feet.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention-"
"LOOK OUT!" Jessica yelled as another guy barrelled out of the dark doorway and caught Clint in the back, sending them both forward into Rory. The three of them hit the deck, Rory's heels scrambling for purchase on the bathroom floor. Her gun skidded away from her and something caught her in the cheek hard enough for her to see stars.
She was just about to hit back when a brilliant green light filled the bathroom and there was a crackle of electricity. The agent stopped moving and Clint was able to throw him off them again. He looked up at Jessica, grinning, as he took the girl's extended hand.
"Thanks, babe." He winked at her, hauling Rory to her feet beside him. "That's a mighty handy trick."
"What the hell was that?" Rory gasped, her hand holding her face to make sure nothing was too damaged.
"Bio-electric blasts. Oh I should have known you were SHIELD, Hotguy." Jessica rolled her eyes, pulling her hand from his to place on her hip. Her eyes were narrowed and her foot was tapping nervously again.
"Actually, it's Hawk-"
"Neat trick. C'mon, let's move." Rory grumbled, picking up her gun and her bag. She pressed her earpiece. "Ward, where are you?" She barked into it. Her hip hurt, so did her cheek and she just wanted to get the hell out of there.
"Running. Don't go out the front." Ward puffed back, the sounds of gunfire and yelling coming down the line after his voice. "There's about 50 of them. Go out the back. I'll try and lose them. Meet you at extraction."
The line went dead and Rory swore.
"C'mon, backway." Clint muttered, pushing past Rory. He grabbed Jessica's hand. "I promise you'll be safer with us, kid."
Jessica looked sceptical again for half a second but something over Clint's shoulder made her nod and she decided to leave with them.
They stuck to the shadows of the club and thankfully their little scuffle had barely registered over the throbbing beat and intoxicated youth. They pushed through a set of doors that lead into an alleyway adjacent to the club. Clint and Rory's guns were raised high, both on high alert.
"Clear this way."
"Clear my way." Rory confirmed. Clint motioned for them to move on and they crept into another alley and emerged a street over.
"God I wish I had proper shoes." She grumbled, her fingers tight around the trigger of her gun. "and a dress that wasn't riding up my ass." She pulled on the hem of her dress. "This was supposed to be an easy in-and-out."
"Yeah, if I'd have known I would have to run for my life tonight I would have dressed way more appropriately." Jessica commented dryly.
"I am not complaining." Clint grinned, wrapping his arm around Jessica as they stepped onto the main street. The wind chill was getting to Rory and her whole body shook from the cold. Her skin seemed to buzz from adrenalin and her eyes darted around the older looking streets for any signs of danger.
Rory shook her head at her partner's antics. "Focus, Barton." She muttered, eyeballing an oncoming couple. Her gun was now concealed in her handbag as she pretended to rummage for something. Every person made her jumpy, every noise had her heartbeat pounding. "Extraction isn't far."
She'd seen Zemo, she was sure it had definitely been him. He'd known she was there and she didn't know how. It seemed like a huge coincidence that he would be at the same mission she was on, Jessica Drew or not.
"Where is extraction?" Jessica asked, her heels clicking on the pavement as she walked in front of Rory, beside Clint. She'd made no move to take Clint's arm from around her waist, Rory noted, but she wasn't sure if that was to do with playing a part so they didn't look suspicious or whether she liked it there. The woman had once been trained as a Hydra agent so she knew the ropes fairly well already.
"Hyde Park. I'm hoping the jet is there." Clint replied easily.
"Oh you have a jet." Jessica said in an incredulous voice.
"Of course. Every good agent has a jet." Clint grinned. Rory rolled her eyes at the pair.
"And you can fly this jet, huh?"
"Sure can." Clint replied smugly. Rory made a gagging noise and shook her head. Clint just threw a grin over his shoulder at her. "You ok there, Dugan?" He asked.
"Oh yeah just – "
Her eyes caught a figure on the other side of the street and she stopped dead in her tracks. That smile haunted her dreams. It was too wide and too snarled. She pulled out her gun.
"DON'T MOVE." She ordered, stepping away from Clint.
"Woah, hey! Aurora!" He exclaimed in surprise, reaching out to grab her. She shrugged out of his grip, keeping her eyes on Zemo. He turned and started to walk away and panic flooded through Rory's system. She couldn't let him get away. Not this time.
"ZEMO! DON'T MOVE." She yelled, stepping into the road.
"AURORA NO!" Clint screamed, leaping after her. He knocked her from her feet, sending them both rolling into the road as a bus went screaming past them, over the exact spot Rory had stepped into. "You fucking idiot, you stepped in front of a bus!"
"He was there!" She yelled, her voice a strangled sob. "He was right there, you let him… you let him get away!" She scrambled to her feet, running to the other side of the road.
"He's gone now. Aurora, FOCUS." Clint sprinted after her. "God damn how can you run in those heels?!" He muttered under his breath. "AURORA!"
She skidded on the heels as she turned a corner but he was gone. The street was empty save for a taxi and it's driver pulled to the side. She let out a sob and smacked her hand against the wall beside her.
"He's gone!"
"He wasn't the mission!" Clint grabbed her arm and spun her toward him. "He wasn't the mission and you've jeopardized this one because I saved your stupid ass from being hit by a bus!" He glared at her, his fingers gripping her arms tightly. "Get your head on your own mission, Dugan!" His blue eyes glared at her but they betrayed his worry.
"You saw him, didn't you?" She asked, searching desperately for her answer.
"I saw you step in front of a fucking bus. I saw you pull your gun. I didn't see him." He shook his head.
"He was here, Clint." She said, loosing a frustrated breath. "He was there and he was watching me. He's been watching me all night." Her hand went to her mouth. "The blanket…" She gasped. Memories washed over her and she gripped Clint's arm tightly.
The blanket had been sitting on her couch for a week and she'd thought nothing of it, but she remembered it now. It was the blanket she'd always taken with her in the car as a child. It had disappeared after the accident, she'd always assumed it had been lost in the confusion but Zemo turning up on her mission, just to watch her reminded her about it. He'd had it with him the whole time.
"The what?"
"The –"
"I don't mean to interrupt but I can hear yelling about 3 blocks back and I don't think it's good." Jessica interrupted them, holding up Aurora's bag. "You also might want this." She held it out to her by one finger.
"C'mon, let's just get to extraction. We'll talk about this later, Dugan." Clint took the bag and tugged on Aurora's arm. "What made you stay?" He asked Jessica as they walked along.
"Hydra fucked me over. I'm hoping SHIELD won't do the same… and I figure you'll probably get into some trouble if you don't bring me back considering I'm your mission and all." Jessica replied, smirking.
Aurora didn't hear Clint's reply. Her mind was stuck on the fact that Zemo had been there and that she hadn't thought about the blanket until now.
It was a long, quiet and uncomfortable ride for them all as they made it back to the helicarrier for debriefing and she said nothing as Clint gave the rundown of the mission.
"Aurora, a word?" Fury asked as he dismissed them all. Rory paused her steps toward the door and turned to face the Director. "Barton called forward before you got here and told me you thought you saw Zemo?"
"Off the record?" She asked, frowning lightly.
"As a favour to him and yourself, yes." Fury nodded. Rory grit her teeth.
"I saw him." She confirmed with a nod.
"What did he do?"
"Nothing." She shook her head. "He just stood and stared at me. Smiled like he knew something. I tried to go after him but –"
"You stepped out in front of a bus."
Her eyes dropped to the floor. "I'm fine."
"Aurora, I'm very worried about this. He knew you would be on this mission. There is still a leak in SHIELD and while that is there he is going to know where to find you." Fury said. Rory heard the squeak of leather as he stood and she looked up.
"I was going to take you off field again –"
"Don't you dare," Rory exclaimed loudly as panic rose in her throat. She couldn't go back to a desk job. This was where she was comfortable. This was where she was good. "This is my job."
"A job that's putting you at risk."
"That's kind of the whole point of the job." Rory rolled her eyes. "Please don't take me off field, Nick. Not because of him." She could hear that she was begging him not to do it and even Nick seemed surprised. Aurora Dugan didn't beg for anything. "He already knows he can find me at the tower. He has already found me at the tower."
Fury levelled his gaze on her, turning protectively steely at the words.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked in a strangely cold voice. Aurora grit her teeth at her stupid mistake.
"A blanket was left at my door about a week ago. I thought Grandpa had dropped it off but I realised tonight that was the blanket I had with me the night of my parents car accident." She could feel a lump in her throat and she swallowed it down.
"He was in the tower?"
"Or he got whoever is on the inside to drop it off… but something that personal, he would have wanted to do it I'm sure." She shook her head. Her throat felt dry and the more she thought about him being in her home, the sicker she felt. "It was a warning. To let me know he's watching me."
"This stays between us, you understand?" He said, resting his hands on the desk. "I will look into security footage. I was going to take you off field again, I know I should take you off for your own safety –"
"Please don –"
He held up a hand to silence her before continuing. "but I feel the best way to bring Heinrich Zemo in and potentially bring down a big part of Hydra is if you're still in the field."
"So you want to use me as bait." Rory said slowly, her eyes lighting up. Fury's eyebrows furrowed. It was a risky move but it would help.
"I wouldn't use those words. Especially not in front of anybody else." He shook his head. "But we could use your skill set to bring him down and find who's leaking our intel. Only four people were supposed to know about you being on Barton's mission – you, Clint, Ward and myself."
"Understood, sir." Rory nodded. "Just let me know when you need me."
Fury nodded and turned away from her. Rory took this as her cue to leave. "We will get him, Rory. I made a promise to your grandfather and I promise you. Justice will be served for what he did."
"Thank you, sir." She replied before turning on her heel to go shower and change into something a little more comfortable.
It was a little after 2 in the morning when they touched down onto Stark Tower landing pad, but instead of going to her apartment like she should have, she took the elevator down to the parking garage, took her car to Brooklyn and she let herself into Steve's house.
The lights were off and it dawned on her as she was feeling her way through the darkness that she probably should have called first to tell him she was coming. She took out her phone and turned the screen on to give her some light.
"Steve?" She called out warily, hoping she hadn't caught the sleeping super soldier unawares. "Steve's it's just me…"
"Aurora?" She heard Steve's sleepy voice from his bedroom and climbed the stairs two at a time.
"Hey." She greeted as she stepped into his room, suddenly feeling shy. She wasn't sure why'd she'd come. Self-preservation maybe? Nightmares would be a sure thing if she tried to sleep. She definitely felt safer at his apartment, especially now she knew Zemo had been to hers and could get into the Tower.
"What're you doin', Sweetheart?" He asked and she could tell he was smiling just from his voice. She heard the covers move as he moved over in the bed for her.
"Back from my mission. Didn't feel like being alone." She replied, turning the phone light off. She stripped out of her sweats until she was just in her underwear and crawled into bed with him.
"What happened?" Steve asked, pulling her into his side and curling his big frame around hers easily. He let out a contented sigh and linked his fingers through hers.
"Zemo was there." She whispered and she felt him tense.
"What."
"He knew where I was. Came for me." The words sounded strange to her and her ears were ringing. She could feel it coming, the impending panic attack in 3...2…1…
"Did he touch you?"
"He didn't even say a word. Just watched me and smiled at me. He knew where I was… he knew…" Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and she swallowed down lungfuls of air.
Steve's lips were against her ear and his thumb was stroking the back of her hand soothingly. Her pulse stopped spiking and her breathing slowed.
"He's been to the Tower, Steve. To my apartment." Rory closed her eyes.
"What?" The cold tone was still there when Steve spoke and Rory shivered.
"That thing in the bag that you found on the door the other day... It was a blanket. My blanket from when I was a child… It was in the accident with me." A sob escaped her throat as reality finally sunk in.
"You are moving in with me." Steve said in a hard voice. "How the fuck did he get into the Tower?"
"Fury's working to find out. Only he and I know." She told him. "There's a double agent in SHIELD."
"So it's confirmed?"
"There are too many coincidences for it not to be." Rory nodded. Steve was silent for a few moments, his grip tight around her. "I won't stay out of the field." She said softly, knowing that's what he was struggling with. "He'd come after me whether I was behind a desk or behind a gun. I think I'd much rather be behind the gun."
"I know." Steve nodded, his lips finding her pulse point. She let out a sigh at the contact, feeling her whole body relax. "I know you can handle yourself but it doesn't stop me worrying."
"Likewise." She murmured, sleep invading her mind like a cloak. "I'm not moving in, either. We need to see if he'll try for the tower again."
"Then I move back in there with you." He said in a quiet voice. She turned in his arms and kissed him lightly.
"This is your home. I am a big girl who can fight her own battles."
"You also don't sleep enough as it is. You waiting for him to walk through your door is going to mean you sleep even less." He pointed out and she sighed.
"So I stay here every so often." She burrowed into his neck and closed her eyes, feeling completely safe and relaxed in his arms. "I need to catch him and if I have to dangle myself in front of him then so be it." She mumbled.
Steve let loose a low growl and held her tightly, but he didn't argue. He knew better than to argue with a Carter woman.
Author's Note: I am SO super sorry this is late. Things have been a bit crazy for me and I had a REALLY big moment of 'oh god this is terrible.'… I'll have the next one posted up soon. Thanks for reading!
Playlist:
Scary Monsters Nice Sprites – Skrillex
Adrenalin – Zeds Dead
I'm Gonna Do My Thing – Royal Deluxe