Ada entered the lab to find Howard on the ground looking as though a bus had hit him. Her nose screwed up at the faint scent of burnt metal that seemed to permeate the lab. Stepping over him, she tossed some files down onto the counter and glanced back at him.
"Pick yourself up, Howard, it's embarrassing," the blonde said coolly.
He had learned early on that out of all of the female agents, the last person he should attempt to flirt with was the sharp tongued Russian. Now that he met her husband, he understood why. Those two were a power couple within their own right.
Ada turned to leave but froze at the sight of the blue energy emitting from the small particle. Her head tilted to the side in an appearance of curiosity and incredulity. Howard looked between her and the particle, his eyebrows raised in question.
"Do you know anything about it?" he asked.
That seemed to snap her out of her reverie and she shook her head. "It just seemed familiar. Like something out of deja vu. Anyway, are you ready? I'll go get Captain Rogers."
The blonde straightened her jacket as she walked out of the lab and through the main room of the SSR headquarters. The last time she had seen Steve today was when she left his hotel room before him thanks to a few files she needed to grab from her and Peggy's room. The British spy had merely sent her an amused expression as Ada appeared in her dress from last night and smudged lipstick.
Now, she was prim and put together as usual with not even one hair out of place.
Turning the corner, Ada found her husband practically being mounted by one of the SSR agents. Clearing her throat, she placed her hands on her hips as the leggy blonde pulled herself away from Steve.
"Private Lorraine, I advise you go and find yourself somewhere more useful such as your job," she snapped. "Captain, Stark is ready for you."
Ada turned sharply on her heel and marched back towards the lab, Steve hot on her heels as he frantically shoved his tie back under his jacket. "Ada, I'm sorry, she just came at me. Ada, wait."
"It's Agent Kennedy," she gritted out.
"Ada, please. It's not what you think."
"What am I supposed to think, Steve?" Ada whirled around so she could jab a finger in his chest. "You have always wanted to be this. A man that women fawn over. Congratulations."
"And how do I know that you're not out on missions...fonduing with marks?"
She reared back, a shocked look overtaking her previously hard features. "Are you kidding me? Married nearly five years and you have no faith in me. Go to hell, Rogers."
The MP standing guard of the lab door couldn't move faster in order to get out of her way as she shoved open the door and headed inside.
/
"Kennedy doesn't sleep with any marks, my friend," Howard explained. "That was one of the only rules she set down when she came back. No one knew why, but I guess we know now."
"Really? I didn't think…"
"Nor should you, pal. The moment you think you know what's going on in a woman's head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked."
On the farther end of the weapons lab, Ada found herself facing two tables with a new uniform and various weapons spread out on it. Her fingers traced down the handles of the blades. Small and large, slim and wide. Those that could easily be concealed and those that were for the battlefield.
She then drifted down to the firearms. Again, an array of sizes for various uses. Picking up a handgun, she was impressed by the lighter feel of it compared to the clunky pistols she usually carried around. Turning to find Howard and ask him, she found the developer talking with her husband who held a circular shield in his hand. A thought flitted across her mind and she smirked, approaching the two men with a sway to her hips.
"Are you two finished? I believe Captain Rogers has some unfinished business," she called.
Steve hoisted the shield in front of him, a proud look on his handsome face. "What do you think?"
Ada blinked rapidly and then raised the gun in her hand, firing off four shots in quick succession. The lab fell silent in response to the echoing reverberations of her actions as Steve ducked behind the shield. He slowly lowered it, his wide eyes staring at her in shock.
"Yes, I think it works," she hummed. Ada inspected the gun in her hand before smiling plainly at Howard. "Good work."
/
The soft knock on the door should have been an indication not to open it but against her better judgement, Ada stopped her packing to open the hotel room door. Seeing Steve on the other side, she moved to shut it but he easily stopped the door.
"I don't want to fight," he said quietly. "I just want to apologize."
She slowly moved back, letting the door fall open. Rather than her usual uniform, Ada was dressed in a silken nightgown that exposed the soft skin of her shoulders and chest and he had to tear his eyes away and focus on something else. It wasn't the first time he had seen her like this, of course not. It was just bad timing for him to notice anything but her face.
"Peggy's still at the office," she explained the lack of her roommate.
"I'm sorry about earlier. About what I did and said."
"The kiss wasn't your fault," she replied shortly. "Private Lorraine doesn't seem to know when to keep her hands to herself."
"But then I put my foot in my mouth."
Ada walked over to her bed to continue packing for their departure for Austria in the morning. He could tell by the set of her shoulders that he was correct in his assessment. Steve moved to the other side of her bed so he could watch her.
"I was insecure and prideful and well, pride takes the fall. Sometimes, I just don't know what to say because I know so little about you. But I know that it's not easy or that simple for you. I can't hold it against you."
Ada hesitated before reaching into her bag and pulling out a stack of letters. Steve instantly recognized the handwriting as his own and his eyes darted up to her face but she was staring straight at the worn paper in her hands. Her fingers ran along the ink and she let her shoulders fall.
"My parents loved each other to the end," she said quietly. "And I never thought I would know what that felt like. But then I met you. I know I'm not the easiest person to be with and I'm sorry. I made a vow to stay faithful to you and I kept that vow because I do believe in what we said. Please don't think any less of me in that aspect."
"I don't," he murmured, reaching out to move her hair off of her shoulder to expose the column of her throat. Ada finally looked up at him as he settled his hand against the steady thrum of her pulse at the base of her neck. She inhaled sharply and slowly set the letters back down in her bag. Her jade eyes locked with his and he stroked his thumb along the line of her jaw.
"Peggy could come back at any moment," she blurted out.
He merely leaned forward and scooped her up, eliciting a startled laugh from her. His chest warmed at the sound. He hadn't heard her laugh in years and never once since joining her in the war. Ada lightly smacked her fist against his back as he walked out of the room and headed for his next door.
"What are you doing?" Ada hissed.
"I'm showing my wife just how much I think about her."
And if they were a few minutes late meeting the Howling Commandos for the dispatch flight, no one made a comment.