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Chapter 24

"Hi, one BLT salad, a smoked chicken wrap, a grilled cheese sandwich, medium flat white, medium cappuccino and double latte to eat in please."

It was Emily's turn to buy lunch for the group today. Natalie and Aaron sat on one of the faux bohemian café chairs as Emily ordered at the counter. Though the week doing paperwork was tough, she had felt better immediately and glad it was all out of her system. The blood tests had come back normal and any remaining worried was sapped away with the results.

The sex with Steve was definitely worth the wait though.

Tapping her card, she cursed the extortionate New York prices. She wouldn't trade living in the city for anywhere else, but she missed the cheap coffee in Hampton and New Haven.

As she headed to her friends, she felt someone bump against her. She turned her head to see two teenage boys, both carrying Midtown Tech Opening Day tote bags.

"Sorry ma'am," the brown haired boy apologised.

"No problem," Emily smiled back, remembering her conversation with Morita's grandson, "Hey, you'll like Midtown Tech, the principal is cool."

"We hope so too," the other boy, who was a little larger, smiled brightly at her.

She slipped into her seat, "What are we talking about?"

"Just about how the scientists are all scared of Steve now," Aaron told her, "Hey, I was in the bathroom this morning and Steve was there too. One of the lab rats walked in, took one look at Steve, and bolted out of there like a terrified rabbit. My God, I was glad I was at a urinal because I just about pissed myself. Like, they're all scared shitless and I'm like, that's the guy whose apartment I go to for dinner parties. He's like the nicest guy ever but they are basically forced to wear brown underwear around him now."

True to his word, Pierce had spoken to the science lab about proper storage use.

Steve also decided to pay a little visit, but he was much less diplomatic and police. The sight of Emily seizing as the toxiodine coursed through her veins was too much. Anyone who hurt his girlfriend, whether it was a slight insult or accidentally exposing her to a noxious substance, would not get away with it. Once he knew that Pierce had talked to them, he headed down himself.

He was not a threatening type, but he made sure that his words cut deep.

Emily only found out about this when one of the scientists rushed up to apologise to her. The poor guy was quivering and looked as though he was about to burst into tears, so Emily kindly accepted his apology and asked why he was so freaked out.

When she asked Steve about it, he just kissed her on the head and told her that she wasn't to worry. It was kind of out of character for him to get angry like this, but Emily knew he'd not been cruel and was just happy that he'd done that to protect her.

That made waiting for sex quite a bit harder- he was very sexy when he went all Captain America on people.

"Yeah, but Steve would kill anyone who hurt Emily. Remember when he punched Rumlow in the face?" Natalie reminded him, "That was before they were even dating."

"Plus, it really turns me on with the whole Captain Rogers thing," Emily smirked, "Let me tell you, when he comes back from a mission all beaten up, it doesn't usually end with him going straight to bed. That suit does wonders for his...area."

"God I would kill to have regular sex," Natalie moaned, "It's like running water- I like a tap and want to know where my water is coming from. You can go home and it's there, you know. It may not be every single day, but you know where your next time is coming from. Look, I'm not someone who sleeps around a lot, you know that, but I like to have a schedule. If I could get a guy as hot as Steve and apparently that great in bed, I would never let him go."

"Amen to that sister."

"Stop complaining Nat. You're 27, plenty of time to settle down."

"It's not like I want marriage, I want regular sex."

"Believe me, I don't have that problem," Emily sang.

"Yeah, not like you ever mention that," Aaron sang back, Emily kicking him under the table.

With the food on the table, they began lunch.

"Hey, what about that guy you met at the market? He was cute," Emily asked.

"Oh him," Natalie put her head in her hands, "Basically, we went to dinner and he slurped his noodles. Now, that on its own doesn't sound too bad, but the sound...it just wasn't human. Seriously, no human has ever made that sound before, I GUARANTEE it. I could overlook it, because they're noodles, and Mr. Chow down in Kips Bay is the absolute best, so I can understand that. So we head home and all the way, I'm thinking, I'm gonna ask this guy up. Now, it's a second date and I didn't plan on sleeping with him that quickly, but a bit of fooling around. We get to my building and it's all awkward fumbling like 'this is fun,' and then he kisses me."

Emily and Aaron leaned in, hooked on her every word.

"He was ALL TONGUE. It was like two seals wrestling for dominance. My mouth was wet, like full of saliva like my cousin's boxer dog when it drools everywhere. His tongue just went around my mouth, full circle as if he's my dentist. It was disgusting. I mean, it was the grossest thing I have ever done. Hell, in seventh grade I made out with Jimmy Zagrinski when he had those massive metal braces and had just eaten a hot dog filled with onion. That was better than this, miles better."

"Did you tell him?" Emily asked.

"No, I couldn't. If he was a dick who thought he was God's gift to women I would have, but he was so sweet and the way he looked at me, I wanted to cry. I told him that I was super busy and that I would call him as soon as I could. I ignored his calls and that was that. Like, I'm sorry I ghosted him but I couldn't tell him."

"I think you should have. You have a duty to every other single woman in New York City; you can't let him loose like that. Besides, if he never learns, you won't be the last person to ghost him."

"Yeah, it's like this girl I dated who liked to massage me. Worst massages ever, it's like someone poured rocks on my back. She said she loved to do it to guys and believe me, I wished someone was honest with her before she got her hands on me."

"So what did you do?" Natalie asked.

"I told her."

"How did that go?"

"She cried and left, said I didn't appreciate her talent. I was like whatever; at least if someone else tells her she can take it as proof."

Emily nodded in appreciation as Natalie looked at Aaron as though he was evil.

"That's a bit mean," Natalie protested.

"Relationships are about communication though," Emily sipped her coffee, "You need to know what the other likes, physically and emotionally. If you plan to go forward, you need to know that you're doing the right thing. If I was with a guy and there was something he didn't like physically, I'd want him to come out and tell me. I wouldn't be offended, everyone has likes and dislikes. Whether it's tongue guy or massage girl, everyone needs to know."

"That is why you're the only one of us in a stable relationship," Aaron tipped his head.

"Speaking of which, 11 o'clock, girl over there is staring at you."

They all slowly turned to see a girl with dyed pink hair and a nose ring looking at them.

"I don't do nose rings."

"You need to get laid and if you want to do that, get out of your comfort zone," Natalie advised, "She looks free spirited! That might be good. Besides, I wouldn't go pink or anything with the hair, but I think she's quite a pretty girl."

"I'm not so sure..."

"Ugh, you're such a baby, watch this," Emily got up, grabbing a pen and napkin, ignoring Aaron's pleas for her to stop. She boldly walked over to the girl.

"Hi, my friend Aaron saw you staring and he thinks you're cute too, so here's his number," she started scribbling on the napkin.

"Erm, this is really awkward, but I was actually looking at the girl with you."

Emily's eyes widened.

"Oh shit, I really thought you were looking at him."

"It's ok, happens all the time," the girl shrugged, "Is she, erm, single? She's pretty hot."

"She doesn't swing that way, I'm sorry, but I will tell her you think she's hot. It's a great confidence boost. Good luck though; I hope the next one will be up your street."

"Thanks," the woman smiled kindly.

Emily walked back to the table; the others looked at her expectantly.

"So?" Aaron asked.

"She wasn't looking at you," Emily's eyes darted over to Natalie, who suddenly realised, "She said you're 'pretty hot,' actually."

"You're kidding," Aaron deadpanned.

"That's so sweet of her," Natalie put a hand on her heart, "Aww, I hope she finds someone nice."

"I told you she wasn't my type."

"More like she's not yours buddy," Emily laughed, "Hard luck."

Aaron stuck his tongue out, "God I feel sorry for Steve, having to put up with you. That man deserves a damn medal."

"I'm his medal, actually," Emily tossed her hair back, she and Natalie bursting out laughing.

"Why am I friends with you two again?"

"Well, we're like Old Spice- the best a man can get," Natalie sang.

"I am now going to throw my shower gel out when I get home."

"Love you too Pierce," Emily looked at her phone, "We should probably head back. I swear to God, Agent Blake gave me extra paperwork because he overhead me saying he has a stick up his ass. Like sorry, but he's a jerk."

They headed out, laughing as they headed back to the building. Emily was so involved with her friends that she didn't get that feeling of being followed once again.

She was, however, being followed. It had not stopped, they had not stopped.

LIGHT ME UP-

Firefights were not like in the movies. People didn't shout over them, seemingly hearing everything the other had said. It was quick and everyone had the most improbable aim in the world. A single shot could kill someone and they died after a monologue.

The bullets were so loud that Steve really had to strain and yell into his earpiece.

A Chitauri gun had once again fallen into the wrong hands, having been stolen from right under SHIELD's nose. Steve had been sent to retrieve it, along with a batch of the 'graduating' class from the academy. He felt like an awkward kindergarten teacher with a group of wide eyed children. These recruits were only (physically) a few years younger than him, but they all worshiped the ground Captain America walked on.

They were scattered around the warehouse, receiving fire like they had never seen before. All that training came down to this.

'There won't be any redoes or resets. There won't be an instructor coming from behind a door to tell you that you've been 'shot' and need to redo the training. If you get hurt here, you'll likely be a in a hospital wing. Being shot isn't like in the movies; you won't crawl back up and get a few hits in. It hurts like absolute hell and it can possible disable you.

The bad guys won't go down with one hit in their chest. You have to fight them properly. There are no gimmicks or games, no prizes to be done. You're in a shooting zone and no one will rescue you if you fail. If you fail here, it may be the end of the line for your career. This will not be the worst thing you will handle, not by a long shot. Focus your mind and everything you can in your surroundings.

If you succeed, then you know that you embody what SHIELD wants in a person. Let's go everyone.'

That had been his pre-mission motivational speech, something he found himself doing every time. He'd been told he was rather good at those.

The bullets rained above them- it seemed they had half an armoury at their disposal. Every fired bullet pierced the eardrums, loud and clear. They whizzed past his shield, some only grazing the side of it and missing Steve, who was curled up as tightly as he could with only his eyes hovering above the top.

"THOSE NEAREST TO THE DOOR, ADVANCE FORWARD AND STOP THE OUTER LAYER OF COMBATANTS!" he commanded, hoping that most of them could hear him well enough.

Luckily for Steve, they did, leaving him to use hand to hand combat to deal with the larger men. It was effortless for him, his fists pounding against flesh and his shield leaving large marks on faces. Gun out, he incapacitated as many as possible, with the others receiving a shoot to kill order.

Just as he took the last one down, he turned to see one more combatant emerge from behind some crates. The guy was drawing his gun.

"WAIT!" he called.

It all happened in quick motion, which was when Steve knew it was too late. A bullet flew through the gun and straight into the ribs of a young agent.

The whole world stopped, Steve managing to snap himself out of it just quick enough to get three bullets into the assailant. Quickly looking around, he indicated the others come out and form a protective circle around them as he checked on the guy.

The bullet had lodged itself into the guy's shirt, blood squeezing out of it. He looked so much younger as he stared at his bloodied shirt, eyes widened as he realised the severity of the situation.

"Someone head to the jet and press the black emergency button which connects to SHIELD medical services and tell them what has happened. I also need the stretcher, which you can get beside it by releasing the valve. NOW!"

A couple of them went scrambling off, Steve turning his attention back to the injured agent.

"What's your name kid?"

"Max...sir," he stuttered. No bleeding from the mouth, that was good.

"Ok, where does it hurt?"

"Lower ribs, ahhh," he screamed in agony when Steve pressed it slightly.

"Well I don't know whether it's gone through the other side or if it's lodged in, it's best to keep that to the medical professionals. Ok, someone go grab some napkins or towels or whatever else is available, bring it to me now. We need to press onto the wound."

A girl crouched down next to Max.

"Max, it's gonna be ok, it probably won't have hit an artery or anything," she put a hand on his shoulder, "Remember, we're gonna be SHIELD agents, we've gotten this far without dying or whatever. I'm sure it's more painful than it is deadly."

"Thanks Leslie," he grimaced.

Steve allowed himself to look at the pair. Leslie was looking at Max with more than just friendly concern, it was something else. It was how he looked at Emily when something had happened. He knew this look well enough. His heart broke for her. He'd felt helpless when Emily seized on the floor in front of his eyes, he imagined it was the same for Leslie.

Some others rushed back, throwing scraps of material on Max's body. Steve grabbed them together and pressed them tightly onto the wound, his own hands covered with blood.

"Medics are informed at The Bunk!" someone called to Steve, who could see the stretcher out of the corner of his eyes.

"Graves, isn't it?" Steve looked at Leslie, who nodded, "I want you to keep the pressure on, do not move your hand. You can take a break when we get back on the jet, but not before. Don't do it too hard, but I don't want it soft either. Make sure you can feel his skin. Got it?"

"Yes Captain."

"Ok, guys over here, I want you to take the stretcher. One on each part of it, here you go. Ok Max, this is gonna hurt a bit when they pull you up. On my count, you follow me to the jet and secure Max. When we get there, I'd like several of you to alternate the pressure on Max here so that everyone has a break. Follow me."

Max winced as he was carried onto the jet. Steve called the medics to give them an ETA, using wipes to get some of the blood off of his hands. Once everyone was in safely, Steve started the jet.

He looked back every so often, seeing Leslie hold Max's hand. Seeing that made his gut twist.

Landing was a relief beyond measure, as was seeing the medics head in to take Max. The remaining agents stayed on, looking to him for instructions.

"Debrief will occur at 09:00 as previously stated. It's been a stressful day, so I want you all to go home and rest well. Tragically, today is an example on what can and will likely go wrong at least a dozen times in your career, if not more. It will be discussed at debrief tomorrow. Trainee Agent Smith will be in my prayers tonight and whatever your beliefs, I hope he will be in yours too. I've seen only recently firsthand how amazing the medics at SHIELD are, so I am confident in Smith's recovery. Well done everyone, I was impressed today, especially seeing how you all came together at the end. Goodnight all."

They scurried off, leaving Steve to shut shop. His head was racing with thoughts as he went home.

His keys jangling in the lock, he was happy to push the door open and go home. This apartment had the only person in the world he wanted to see.

Emily emerged with a sweet smile, "Hi, you're home. How was it?"

"Trainee got shot."

She stopped, her face going pale.

"Oh honey, you're kidding."

"I wish I were. In the ribs. He's going to be ok but still."

"Oh come here honey," Emily went forward to comfort him, wrapping her arms around his shoulder. He pulled her to him, burying his head in her hair and shoulder.

"It was my fault."

"What?" Emily pulled her head back.

"I saw the assailant a fraction of a second too late. Anytime earlier, and the kid wouldn't have been shot."

"Steve, you can't be omnipresent."

"I know that, but I'm Captain America. The serum was supposed to make me better and stronger, with the best hearing and eyesight and senses, but I just wasn't focused enough when I was supposed to be training them. Fighting one on one for me, I shouldn't even need to concentrate, but I was too focused on myself and not my surroundings. That's everything I'd tell them not to do."

"That may be true, but you have to focus on yourself. Every agent keeps their focus when they're fighting, that's also what we're taught in training. I'm not looking around when some guy twice my size is trying to choke me."

"I'm an Avenger, this should be effortless."

"You think that Nat and Clint don't put everything into a fight? Of course they do. Natasha is the world's best assassin and she would never slack. You can't always be a team player, being an individual is often what saves your ass. Steve, it sucks it happened on your watch, but every senior agent has seen it happen on their watch. Hey, on my first senior agent mission, we got hijacked and taken hostage. There's nothing we can do. Don't dwell on it."

"I feel guilty that I've come home to my girl and he's spending time in hospital."

"It's always a risk. It shouldn't be, but it's a risk. So many people in all walks of life get hurt and whilst it's not ok, it does happen. SHIELD isn't a kindergarten or a dog day care. Your team did really well. You made sure he got medical attention quickly, I'm sure of it. I am sure that kid will be fighting hard; he's a SHIELD trainee after all. We're a tough breed. He wouldn't have got in if he wasn't the best a man can be."

"Em, I missed it. Just like I missed-"

"Don't say it," Emily put a finger to his lips, "Don't compare him to Bucky. That wasn't your fault and though this situation may be different, this wasn't your fault either."

"I can't get it out of my head."

"You're going to have to live with this, but just know it's not your fault my darling. It's not, I promise you. Tomorrow, you and I will go to see this kid at the hospital wing to support him. Hospitals are scary; we need to give him the support we got when I was inside. I have some leftover baked goods, I'm sure he'll wolf those down if he knows what's good for him."

"Yeah, good idea. I can apologise."

"Do what you feel comfortable with, but know you're ok- you didn't cause this."

Steve wouldn't be swayed by Emily's words.

"Come on honey, let's shower- you need to get that blood away, you don't need a reminder. We can shower then cuddle on the sofa. If you want to go to bed now, we can do that as well."

He let her take his hand and lead him down the hallway. In times like this, he was so glad that he had Emily Collins in his life.

Still, he felt that guilt.

Hello all, I hope you enjoyed it!

Next Time: Steve and Emily come closer to the truth, leading them to a secret that could blow the SHIELD leadership apart.

We're about 4 chapters away from finishing! Let me know what you think and don't forget to review please xxx