Losing Hope

(Iris POV)

Nick and I are in my apartment at my table studying for our next exam, I hate him coming here but I did not want to go to his apartment. I can see him staring at me in the corner of my eye. "What?" I snap a little.

"Nothing."

"You keep staring at me...so what is it?" I ask impatiently.

"I was just wondering how the counseling is going?" He answers.

"Oh...good, it's going really good actually." I tell him.

"And it's still just the two girls?" He asks as I nod my head yes. "How do you do it so well? What's your secret? I haven't met anyone council children so soon."

"I don't reveal my secrets."

"Oh come on...maybe it could help me, I want to help them too."

"Fine...I don't really know, I just play games with them and talk to them like a friend."

"That's it?"

"That's it...they tend to feel like they are in trouble or something and I make sure they are relaxed and have fun, so that even if they don't talk the first few times that at least they'll want to come back because they had a good time." I explain.

"Your good." He smiles, I do give him a little smile. "How long do you think you'll still be counseling them?"

"Well, it's crazy to think but not for very much longer. They both are doing better and improving every time we end a session." I shrug.

"Wow, that's great. Your really are good." He repeats with a smile.

"Thanks, now can we get back to this." I point to my paper as I put my head back down to focus.

"Iris, why won't you go out with me? I mean, we've known each other for a few months now and I really like you. You always tell me no but all I get is I don't want to." He suddenly ask.

"Well one, I don't date and two I don't have time, all I can focus on is school and counseling and three I just don't like you that way, sorry." I answer, I'm trying to be nice.

"Why don't you date?" He asks me.

"Like I said, I don't have time and that is as much as I am going to say on the matter."

"But we can't just go on one date? That's all I ask."

"No because it's never one time with you guys."

"You guys?" He asks me confused.

"Yes, all men. You guys are all the same and I know it will never just be one time and again like I have said over and over again I don't want to." I'm trying to keep my cool.

"Okay okay, I get it." He said with his hands up, "...let me guess, it was a bad break up? That's why you won't go out with me. I get it, I had a bad break up myself not too long ago."

"And that is none of your business." I snap getting more upset, why couldn't he just drop it?

"So it was a bad break up! What happened?"

"Like I said it's none of your fucking business, I am not talking about this." I'm fuming! "I am this close to throwing your ass out and finding a new study partner."

"Fine, got it. No more." He again putting his hands up, "I'm sorry, it's just I really like you and I think we could be great together, that's all."

"Why? Why do you like me? You hardly know me and I am constantly a bitch and have shown zero interest in you whatsoever, so what is it?" I ask him quickly and very sternly.

"Well, I think your smart and very beautiful." He said trying to sound charming, I don't buy it at all.

"Wow, thank you, I haven't heard that pick up line before." I roll my eyes not impressed.

"It's true. I would say more what I like about you but that would mean getting to know you better, which I would really like to do." He points out and is about to reach for my hand.

"And it's time for you to go." I blurt out as I retract my hand and close my book.

"Already?" He looks at his watch.

"Yep, I'll see you tomorrow." I tell him as I stand up and walk to the door to let him out.

He hesitates but soon gets up. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He walks out the door, "Iris, I'm sorry he hurt you so bad." I don't say anything I just slam the door shut.

Not only did Nick force me to think about him but Emma keeps wanting to know who helped me. I hate thinking about him because it forces me to miss and be furious with him all at once. I was not going to talk about him with anyone let alone some guy that won't take the hint that I'm not interested. I try to go back to studying but can't, I just can't stop fuming, it just makes me throw my textbook across the room.

(Steve POV)

Steve and the others are at the Germany safehouse. He and Sam are waiting for Natasha to come back with new intel from Maria. Natasha suddenly bolts through the door. "I think Hill finally got something big." She said excitedly.

"Yeah?" Steve asked with very little expectations, he no longer gets his hopes up.

"Yeah, it's an active Hydra base, there's at least 20 men."

"Where?" Sam quickly asks.

"Outside Germany, just a few hours from here." She answers.

"Let's go then," Steve replies getting his stuff together.

Steve was praying that this base actually had some useful intel unlike the Shield ship. There had to have been something on that ship that made them want it back so bad. They get to the base and Natasha was right there was at least 20 men here. He can see Natasha, Sam and Wanda hiding in different areas. He's giving commands through hand gestures. One Hydra soldier walks by and Steve put him in a chokehold and he was out in 2 seconds. "We're moving out on my mark...3...2...1." He commands in his ear piece.

All four start to move toward the base. They quietly take out man after man, trying to not be noticed, heard or seen. It was important to keep the element of surprise. Out of nowhere after entering the building an alarm went off, "shit." Steve mouths, "I'm headed to the control room." He whispers as he keeps sneaking through the building, he went inside and saw someone at the computers. "Don't move! Stop right there!" He shouts aiming his gun.

"Captain America...at last we found you." He spoke with his heavy accent.

"Correction, we found you. Open up the computer and step away." He demands, the guy sits there for a few seconds then with a smile presses a button to show that he had already started a self destruct timer that would not only destroy any evidence but the whole building. "Stop it now!" Steve demands cocking the gun at him.

"It's too late, I can't. It looks like your fucked." He replies confidently.

"Tell me about Ross! What are you doing here?" Steve shouted.

"Like I said, your fucked, I am not telling you anything...if I were you I would leave when you have the chance, say good-bye to the bitch, she will get hers...too bad I didn't get a chance at her." He gloats with an evil grin, Steve continues to point his gun at him. "Really? What are you going to do? This isn't your style Captain, you won't kill me so I'm afraid your little girlfriend is..." Steve shot him in the head. He has so much rage in his eyes as he doesn't say a word, he went over to the computer to see if he could find anything but it won't let him search through any files and he can't stop the timer from counting down, "shit, everyone out of the building now, you got 4 minutes." He calls out in his earpiece.

He almost doesn't make it out of the building, in order to escape the explosion he jumps in a small lake that was near the base. After swimming to safety he approaches the safe-zone where they had already arranged to meet. They are all relieved to see him, he was soaking wet.

"Shit Steve, we thought you were dead." Sam breaths out.

"What happened?" Wanda asked.

Steve didn't say anything he just watched the whole facility burn in flames, "Steve." Natasha calls out. Steve's eyes were dark and he was continuing to breathe heavy. "FUCK!" He shouts. He threw and kicked anything that was around him and falls to his knees, "fuck!" He repeats.

"Steve, it's okay...everything will be okay." Wanda tries to reassure him, this side of Steve really scared her, she's trying to calm him down by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"No we won't! It's always a fucking deadend! But this place, we had something...something big and we lost it all...we'll never find anything." He yanked his body away from all three of them and stands back up. "We're fucked!"

"It's not over yet, we will find something. If they destroyed the intel from that computer and building then that has to mean there is something else out there. We'll find it." Natasha spoke with conviction, his chest keeps heaving.

"Come on, let's get back to the cabin before someone sees us." Sam chimes in.

They went back to the cabin, Steve already was starting to tape his hands up before he even went to the basement to let out some steam, he didn't bother putting on his boxing gloves before wailing on those punching bags. Sam, Wanda and Natasha are so worried about him, they don't know what to do. He didn't say a word after they let the Hydra base. Natasha hated seeing her friend in so much pain, she looks at the folder that Maria sent them and noticed something else in the folder. She looks inside and smiles, she hopes this will cheer him up a little.

"Steve, Maria sent something else that you might like to see." She shouts down to him.

Steve comes up from the basement, he already has blood on his taped knuckles and looks at what she has, they were new pictures of Iris. "She sent you more pictures...she's still doing good. At least that's something." She said hopeful, "see, it looks like she's actually working at a counseling facility." He is looking at them fondly, this was the first time they've seen him smile in a while and he's about to put them down until he sees something in one of the pictures.

"Where were these taken?" He suddenly asks.

"Hill said mostly at her campus, why?" She asked confused.

"Oh shit, I got to go." He blurts out.

"What? Why? What's going on?" Sam speaks out.

"I have to get to Iris, she's in danger." He told them as he walks into his room.

"Yeah, we know, that's why we're here." Natasha chimed in also confused.

"No, I mean she's in danger right now." He's packing the few things he has, they follow him.

"How?" Sam asked, Steve wasn't answering them, he just keeps packing. "Steve?"

Steve stops what he's doing and quickly shows them the pictures that made him upset, "you see that? You see that guy?" He points at someone in one of the pictures.

"Steve, I am sure they are just friends or just attending the same classes...I highly doubt she's dating him." Natasha replies, thinking he was just being jealous.

"No Nat, that's not it. That guy is the same man that I saw Ross talking to." He informed them.

"Oh shit," Wanda responds.

"Yeah, Ross told him that night to not engage her until I showed up. Why would they have him pose as a student? And that guy in the control room told me to say goodbye to my little girlfriend." He explains, "she's in trouble, I have to get to her."

"What are you going to do?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know but I have a really bad feeling, I know she's in trouble and I can't protect her if I'm all the way over here. She needs me and I'm going." He told them.

"We're coming with you." Sam blurts out.

"No, you guys stay here, it's too dangerous going back. I don't want anyone else to get hurt." He sternly instructed.

"And we're a team, we're going." Natasha spoke just as sternly, he takes a few deep breaths before he nods his head of approval.

"Wanda, stay here in Germany, stay with Vision. I don't want you to abandon your relationship because of me." He tells her. "But..." She tries to say. "No buts, please stay here. He needs you too."

"Okay...but if you need me, I'll be there." She sweetly offered after a few minutes. She gave them all a hug, "Let's go."


Big chapter! Nick is Hydra! Did you see that coming? I know I didn't make him likable but I couldn't have you guys like him, lol. And yay Steve's coming back!

Also I hope your okay with Steve flat out killing that Hydra soldier, I know he would never do that but I had to show how dark he had become especially if that person threatened Iris, this is a very dark version of Steve.