"And so this is your plan?" Lizzie snapped as soon as Geoff had thrown her to the floor. She felt her bum land on the cold concrete and she whimpered once in pain as he looked at the door to the room. Elizabeth looked around and back to the stairs which led up to the foyer of the apartment block.

"You're going to keep me down in the basement?" she checked with him. "You're going to keep me in the basement with Steve two floors above? Are you stupid or naive?"

"Do not talk to me like that," he demanded from her and she rolled her eyes at him, tired of his superior attitude. She was tired of the scenario which she found herself in and she wanted to do nothing more than knock the smirk from his face.

"I will talk to you how I want," Lizzie replied. "How do you think he found you in the first place? If he found you once then he will find you again."

"That's providing he wakes up," Geoff said in a strained voice as he pushed against the door, finally wedging it open and revealing a small office. The only light came from the torch which Geoff had found in the drawer from the cabinet in the basement. Lizzie looked into the room as he grabbed her by the elbow, hauling her to her feet and dragging her to the small room.

"He will wake up," she promised him. "He is Captain America. He will wake up and he will come and find me. I know it."

"I don't really share your enthusiasm, honey," Geoff spoke, depositing her on the floor once again. She groaned in pain, her body feeling broken and tired whilst she remained seated and Geoff shut the door, searching for more lights for the room. The darkness was enough to make Lizzie cringe, her eyes frantically looking around.

"Now, if your Captain does wake up then we will go back up to an apartment and I shall have you once again, sweetie. If he doesn't...well...I will wait for a couple of hours. His life matters not to me. Your suffering is the thing which does."

"You're sick," Lizzie informed him. "Steve will wake up. I know he will. I know he will come for me."

"You were never this optimistic when we were dating," Geoff told her, still searching for any other source of light. He finally found another torch in the drawer to the desk; flicking the switch he rested it on top of the wood and took a seat in the swivel chair behind the desk.

"I suppose there is no optimism when dating you," Lizzie told him. "If anything there is only a chance for self pity."

"You're still a first class bitch though," Geoff spoke. "It's odd really. I always thought that Captain America would go for someone with a bit more class. America's sweetheart to go with his image. Someone polite and charming. Instead he picked some damaged goods to love. A woman who has never loved before and does not know what love it."

"I know what love it when I am with Steve," Lizzie promised him. "I know what love is now. It is something which I had never been sure of when I had been with you or anyone else."

"Romantic," Geoff told her. "But will he want you when he sees you after I am done with you? He surely knows how damaged you are now...but when I'm finished...even he may be revolted by you. And if he does still want you, well, who is to say that you will want him? Every time he touches you, you will be reminded of me. It won't be him with you. It will be me, Elizabeth. That's what I want to do to you."

"You son of a bitch," she snapped out at him. "I won't let you! I won't let you anywhere near me!"

"You keep thinking that," he told her simply. "I'm going to go and check on lover boy. See if I finished him off. All this talk of tormenting you has made me impatient."

Geoff quickly grabbed the gag which he had been using and wrapped it around her mouth as she protested unsuccessfully. He turned on his heel and took the flashlights, turning them off and leaving Lizzie in the darkness of the concrete room.

He took the steps two at a time, a spring in his step as he moved through the corridor. He knew the man would not be awake yet, even if he was dead. He had not heard movement from anywhere and he was sure the blow to his head had been enough to knock him out for a while.

He opened the apartment door, his eyes darting to the chair and then he felt his orbs widening as he saw it.

"You know, you should never hurt a superhero."

Geoff turned on his heel and saw the man in the star spangled suit stood before him. Steve instantly reacted before Geoff had his chance to, grabbing the man by his shirt collar and turning him round, slamming him against the wall,

"Where is she?" Steve spat at him and he chuckled. Steve's hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him from the ground, his toes trying to reach for the solid floor. Steve looked at him, something changing in his blue eyes as rage took hold of him. His blood boiled and his grip on his neck tightened. "Where is she?" he raged again.

Geoff turned red, quickly breathing for air as Steve moved him from the wall, throwing him to the floor. He was no good dead.

On the ground he soothed his throat with his fingers, coughing out as Steve stood over him, his boot covered foot resting on his chest, restricting him from moving anywhere.

"Where is she?" Steve snapped again, dried blood sticking to his face as he looked down at him. "Tell me where she is or I will kill you without a moment of hesitation."

"You won't," Geoff spat out. "You do not know how to kill me. Revenge is not something which is drilled into you."

"No, it is not," Steve confirmed for him. "But I have killed before and I will kill again if it means getting her back and keeping her safe from monsters like you. You do not know who you are dealing with."

"She is broken," Geoff chuckled. "Do you think you can mend her? Do you honestly think you have hope in fixing the cynical bitch?"

"Do not talk about her," Steve demanded. "Now where is she or I swear to God that I will make your death slow and painful."

"She is in the basement," Geoff spat out as soon as he felt Steve's foot on his throat, draining the air from him. Steve nodded once and released Geoff.

"If you are lying to me..." Steve left the threat empty and then shook his head. "In fact...I think this is a better option."

"What?" Geoff wondered but didn't get a chance to say anything else as Steve picked him up from the floor and flung him against the wall, knocking him out cold.

He nodded once, tempted to just finish him off. He wanted nothing more than that. But he didn't. He left him in the apartment and rushed down the steps until he came to the door to the basement. He pushed it open, walking into a small office type area which was completely empty. He grunted to himself, fresh anger pulsing through him before he saw another door.

Steve moved in the darkness, feeling his way around as he heard muffled grunts.

"Lizzie?" Steve whispered her name and followed the sound of her voice. He dropped to his knees before her, his hand outstretched as he felt her neck with his hand and drew it up to her cheek, feeling the gag on her mouth. He pulled it down and her breath ticked his cheek.

"Steve," she sobbed loudly. "Oh God...Steve...you're here...you're alive..."

"I am," he told her. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," she mumbled. "Can we get out the dark? Please?" she begged and he agreed. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pushing his other hand under her knees and bringing her up and off of the ground, cradling her against his chest.

"Where is he?" Lizzie worried as he left the room and finally came back to the foyer and the light of day through the windows.

"He's knocked out in the apartment." Steve said. He set Lizzie down on the top step to the basement, reaching behind her and untying the ropes from her wrists. "He's not going to get you know."

"I thought...oh God...Steve...I thought he had hurt you...I thought he had..."

"Shush now," Steve urged her gently, taking her wrists into his hands, seeing the indentations from the ropes. His long fingers moved across the bumps in her skin in an attempt to soothe them. "I'm safe and I have you. I won't let anything happen to you. You have my word."

"I know," she whispered in a small sob and rubbed her eyes, Steve's hands still around her wrists. "I wasn't this bad when he held me captive. The shock is just getting to me."

"It's okay," Steve promised. "Lizzie, it's okay. I'm here now."

"I'm fine," she promised him, her fingers moving to the dried blood on his face. "Are you?"

"Yes, I am," he said, kissing her on the cheek quickly. "If I had sense then I would go and kill him. I would go up there and make him suffer like he did to you."

"No," Lizzie said as Steve began to move. "You don't torture people, Steve. Do not sink to his level. Do not do that. Leave him. Leave him alone and let us go...please...I want nothing more than to kill him, believe me. It would not achieve anything. Please, just come with me."

Steve looked onto her pleading face as she stood up, her ankle hurting due to the amount of pushing around which she had been subjected to.

"Please, Steve," she begged him and he nodded once, standing up and taking hold of her hand. He began to walk forwards, quickly noting how she was hobbling alongside of him before he stood still.

"Come here," he whispered and she didn't even bother arguing with him as she wrapped her arm across his broad shoulders and he carried her out the door and back into the darkness.

Steve may have won one war, but he was just about to face another.