What is going to happen to Dalla? How is Steve going to deal with it?

Also, I am sorry for the long wait… again. I've been lacking inspiration. But I hope, soon, that won't be the case.

Differences in this chapter: Time to close out Thor: The Dark World and start getting into missions that make this Dalla and Steve's story and soon, the Winter Soldier should be appearing.

Dalla didn't understand half of what Jane and Erik were saying, but she tried. She didn't want to stay on the couch, but Steve refused to let her stand around the table with them. So, they compromised, and now she was sitting on his lap. Both of them could barely concentrate with the other so close, though Dalla could barely keep her eyes open, let alone keep up with the conversations.

"Dalla, you should head back with Rogers and Banner," said Thor, noting how pale she was.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just tired."

"You could have some internal bleeding," Bruce said. "You should be laying down."

She snuggled into Steve's shoulder, their words starting to fade even as she repeated that she was okay. With Thor's help, Steve managed to remove her armor so they could examine her. She had a dark bruise on her abdomen and Bruce shook his head.

"We'll take her to a hospital out of town," Bruce said. "Steve, keep her awake. We don't know how bad it is."

Thor looked at Steve and said, "Protect my sister."

"With my life," Steve said.

"If she dies…"

"I refuse to let that happen."

Thor watched as Steve carried Dalla out, followed by Bruce with her armor. He then returned to the planning.

Steve and Bruce watched the news in the waiting room. They watched Thor fight the Dark Elves to pass the time, but that didn't help Steve's nerves. Dalla's broken rib had missed her vital organs but had severed a number of veins. The doctors were examining her to see how bad the damage was and what they could do to fix the problem. It had been hours.

A nurse finally came out and said, "She is fine. No major arteries were severed. There were just so many smaller veins open that they caused a problem. She would have healed fine on her own, but we managed to set the bone so that it could heal properly and not cause further damage. It was close. Any longer without treatment, and she would have punctured her left lung. You got her here just in time. She is resting but you can go to her room at any time."

Steve rubbed his face as the nurse left. Part of him was glad she was okay, but he was also angry. She had fought, sat up, had planned to fight a strong enemy, and all the while, she was refusing to admit she was hurt.

"She's fine, Steve," Bruce said.

"But she almost wasn't!" Steve said, trying to keep from yelling. "If we hadn't looked her over, she would be out there and she would be…!"

"But she isn't!"

"Why can't she look out for herself like she does everyone else? She could have died on the way here!"

"She is grieving and wasn't thinking. Steve, she was focusing on those she could save so she didn't have to think about her mother and brother's deaths."

Steve sat down hard. "I had her in my arms, on my lap, and she was slipping away from me. The one place she should have been safe and…"

"She's stubborn, Steve. You know this."

"All too well, but still…"

"If she had been standing, if you had let her continue being stubborn, she would have passed out and then Thor wouldn't be where he is now. He is fighting for her as well as everyone else. Maybe more so for her. Look, she's fine now, that's what matters. When she wakes up, she will need you. Don't get angry with her. She's going to be facing a reality she doesn't want to deal with yet and she's going to need you to comfort her. Wait until she is out of the hospital before you let her have it."

Steve nodded, holding back tears. "I had her in my arms and she was…"

Bruce patted his back as Steve finally let out the fear he had. He got himself under control and made his way to her room. Bruce decided to make a call to Tony about having Dalla stay with them until she was healed, giving the couple a chance to have some time alone.

Seeing her, pale and unmoving in the hospital bed, Steve had to fight breaking down again. He sat next to her and took her hand. It felt like hours before she began to wake.

"Hey, handsome," she said with a tired smile.

"You scared me, beautiful," Steve said. "Dalla… seeing you so…"

Dalla placed a hand on his cheek to quiet him. He kissed her palm. At that moment, he was just glad she was able to look at him, that she was alive. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I've faced worse," she said, "endured much hardship, and survived pain greater than what I faced today. I cannot leave you, Steve. I will always come back to you."

"Dalla, you were in my arms and slowly dying. The one place you are supposed to be safest, and you were slipping away."

"Steve…"

"I have to say this because once you get out of here…"

She pulled him into a kiss before whispering, "Am I going to be punished,... Captain?"

Steve felt himself grow full and an ache build deep within his body. "You can't say 'Captain' like that and not expect me to do something. Not when you are still injured, beautiful."

"Perhaps I plan on teasing you so that when we are finally together again…"

Steve let out a growl. "You make me want to lose all the control I have, Dalla."

She smirked. "Maybe I want you to lose control, Captain."

Their lips crashed together, a moan slipping from her throat as tension built between them. But when Steve ran his hand down her body, Dalla gasped in pain and Steve pulled back.

"You'll be the death of me," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"Really?" she said breathlessly. "Because I thought it was the other way around."

Then, Bruce came in, clearing his throat. Steve sat back in his chair. Dalla tried to hide her blush, but Bruce saw it as he approached.

"I would refrain from doing anything," Bruce said. "Those ribs need to heal." He looked at Steve. "So, calm down, Steve. She is injured, so save the reunion for later." He turned to Dalla. "You too. If you do anything to jostle those ribs, it could cause more damage. With you being a goddess, it should only a few weeks, a month at most, to heal, but you should still rest for two months." He pointed between them. "So, reunite after that, okay?"

Both of them nodded sheepishly before Steve turned on the TV. There, they watched the end of Thor's battle being replayed. Dalla sighed in relief that Thor had survived and won against their enemy.

"What would traveling through the Bifrost do?" she asked.

Jane and Thor entered her room and Thor answered, "I believe Heimdal has already informed Father of your injuries. I will go and speak on your behalf, sister."

"Thank you, Thor," she said. "If you can…"

"Do not worry." He took his sister's hand. "Now, we both desire to stay on Midgard. Your request is my own."

They placed their foreheads together with soft smiles. Thor stayed long enough to regale them with his version of events. Dalla had to remind him not to make her laugh because of the pain. Of course, Bruce told Thor about the kiss, earning Steve a warning glance. Soon, however, Thor had to leave and Bruce had to return to work. Jane stayed a little longer, giving Dalla her phone number and address. Then, Dalla and Steve were alone.

"I'll go ask for a bed if…" Steve said, getting up.

However, Dalla grabbed his hand and said, "You may take up most of the bed, I won't sleep as well without you beside me."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. Don't sit there and tell me that you slept well while we were apart. Because every night, I dreamt of you, and I felt…"

"Empty. And every day, you weren't there and minutes felt like hours." He kissed her hand. "No, I didn't sleep well at all. Since that day in the tower…"

"I would visit Heimdal every day, needing to know you were safe. Every day, he said that you were doing well, but sad and lost. It hurt to hear that." She moved over and pulled him into the bed beside her, and he didn't fight her as he didn't want to hurt her. "Knowing you were like that and I wasn't allowed to come to you, to comfort you… it hurt. But Heimdal would not stand against my father. I had no safe way to you. I didn't want to risk the back ways out and cause a war with Asgard and Midgard, and I knew how upset you would be if I risked my life."

"So, what about…?"

"It was to save the lives of everyone. One life, or even four, seemed inconsequential to the trillions at stake."

Steve looked down at her. "Don't trade your life or any other, Dalla. I know it's a lot, but we can't trade lives in the hopes that many more can be saved. If that life is sacrificed, there is still no guarantee that the others would be saved."

"I know, but we had to try because we were also saving Jane's life. We knew what needed to be done. And now…"

He wiped the tears that fell. "In the end, your mother and Loki were heroes, Dalla. Remember the day on the train? What Peggy told us after? It's the same here. It was their choice, and they wouldn't change that for anything. Be happy with the time you had with them." Dalla began to sob silently into his chest and he comforted her. "It's okay to hurt, but do not take that choice from them."

She nodded and cried until she fell asleep, stains on her cheeks. Jane informed Steve early the next morning that Thor had returned and that Odin had allowed the twins to stay on Earth. He smiled. He had his Goddess for the foreseeable and he planned on keeping it that way.