When Cassidy woke up the next morning, she realized two things. One, she couldn't feel her arm, it must be trapped underneath her, and two, she was unbelievably hot. She tried to move her arm, but she couldn't. Definitely stuck. And asleep.

She felt something hard under her and slowly looked up to see Steve's face. That's why she was so hot. Damn super soldiers run like a furnace. She snuggled back into him, trying to savor the moment as long as she could. He moved just an inch and she felt something hard poke against her thigh. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was. She wiggled just a bit against it and smirked. She was not disappointed.

She felt Steve wake up and still at the position they were in. He didn't move for a few seconds, trying to get his breathing under control. Cassidy wondered if he thought she was still asleep. Steve took a big breath and tried to slide out from underneath her, but she wasn't letting him get away that easily.

Cassidy slowly started moving, leaning her head up to catch his eye. "Good morning." She said softly. Steve swallowed and gave her a small smile. "Morning. I uh…I'm sorry I stayed last night, I guess we were both really tired."

"It's okay, I didn't mind." She told him. Steve started to sit up, and Cassidy's leg slid over his lap when he did, so she was straddling him. Steve's breath caught in his throat as her hands slid up his arms and rested on his shoulders. She felt him press between her legs and she had to stop herself from whining.

Steve's breaths were coming out long and ragged, and he didn't know what to do. He hadn't perfectly in his arms. Something he hadn't felt in such a long time. It put him right to sleep.

And because she felt so good pressed up against him, now he had to deal with his hardness pressed up against her. She bit her lip as she looked up at him, as if waiting for him to make the next move. His hands slid up her legs and rested on her hips, sending a shiver down her spine.

Her hands went to the back of his neck, and she rested her forehead against his. "Steve." She whispered. He damn near crumbled when she said his name like that, it sent chills all over his body. His lips ghosted above hers, mere centimeters apart.

He pulled back and looked down at Cassidy. She furrowed her brows and tilted her head. "He sighed heavily before speaking. "I have to go." He whispered and slid off the couch, grabbing his shoes and heading for the elevator.

"Steve wait." Cassidy called out. He stopped but didn't turn around, too embarrassed to face her. "I'm sorry." He said softly, before entering the elevator.

Cassidy sat on the couch speechless. They had been so close to kissing. She had felt how much he wanted to. What went wrong. She let out a groan and fell back onto the couch, throwing her arm over her face, silently cursing Steve with every name she could think of.

A few weeks had gone by and Cassidy was definitely avoiding Steve on purpose now. Spending her nights in the gym, when she knew he wouldn't be there, spending other free time in her apartment with Nat and Clint, with the occasional visit from Pepper, working on the Gala, which happened to be tonight.

She had all the men's suits delivered to their floors, and had hers and Nat's delivered to her floor, since they'd be getting ready together. The dress she'd picked out for Nat was beautiful. It was black, floor length with a very low-cut front, also with a high slit on the right side. She knew that Nat didn't need an extravagant dress, she'd look gorgeous in anything.

Cassidy's dress was also a floor length dress, but it was a little wider on the bottom, almost like a princess dress. It was a red, halter top with an open back and low-cut front. Cassidy was nervous about showing off so much skin but when she tried it on it fit her like a glove.

Nat was currently curling her hair while she did her makeup in front a mirror in her bedroom.

"So, do you wanna talk about why you're still avoiding Steve?" She asked. Cassidy huffed and leaned back in the chair. "I don't know what's wrong Nat. I feel like every time we get close; he's pushing me away. It feels like he doesn't want me. You know how I am about my self-esteem and my body Nat, and it just feels like it's not good enough for Captain America."

"Cassidy stop. You're gorgeous, you know that. Steve knows that. I see how he looks at who when he thinks nobody else is looking." The redhead told her. "I promise he wants you. He's just taking his time, getting to know you. Have you tried to talk to him about it?"

Cassidy shook her head. "No. I didn't want to come off needy. Like 'Oh why don't you want to kiss me?' Like were fifteen years old or something."

Nat laughed. "Well, no, maybe not quite like that, but maybe it's worth a conversation, just to see where he's at with it?" She suggested. Cassidy nodded, moving back to finish her makeup, trying to go over in her head what she would say to him. She used some foundation to cover up the soul mark on her collarbone. The one for Bucky. She didn't want to answer any questions about it. She always covered them up when she wore clothes that didn't quite cover it.

Once Nat was done with Cassidy's hair, she went into the bathroom to do her own. She kept soft curls, framing her face. She had pulled Cassidy's up, just a few curls falling out of the clip she used. Cassidy shimmied into her dress with the help of Nat and slid her shoes on. When she turned to look in the mirror, her mouth dropped open. It was the prettiest she'd ever look.

Cassidy had always had a problem with her body. Sure, she was fit and toned because of all the years of Shield training, but she always found imperfections. There was a long scar on the side on her thigh from when she broke her leg falling from a tree as a child. She didn't like her breasts, she thought they could be bigger. Her ears were too big, she had too many freckles on her face, and they really stood out when she'd been in the sun too long.

But looking in the mirror at herself, she couldn't find a single thing wrong. The dress pushed her breasts out, hugged her curves where it needed it too, and her makeup and hair framed her face perfectly. Nat put a small silver bracelet on Cassidy's wrist, a gift from her mother on her fifteenth birthday, a few days before she died. Cassidy rarely wore it, but Nat thought it would be the perfect addition to her outfit.

Cassidy smiled at her friend and tried to hold back her tears, "Thank you Nat." She said softly. The assassin wrapped her arms around Cassidy and hugged her tightly. "You're welcome. I love you, you know that right?" Cassidy nodded. "And whatever is going on with Steve, will work itself out okay?"

Nat pulled back and smiled at her, and once again, Cassidy was so very grateful the assassin had come into her life. She didn't know what she'd do without her.