So far Helmut had managed to complain so much during the trip to Brussels. He had found the seats in economy to be particularly uncomfortable, even more so when people insisted on moving up and down the aisle, bumping into him every now and then due to turbulence. He had looked to Amelia and seen the smirk on her face as she read the magazine she had bought with her, almost finding it quite comical that he was hating his time on the flight. In the end, she had lifted the armrest up in between them and moved closer to the window, giving him some more room to stop him from glaring at her every two minutes to silently express his dissatisfaction.

A woman had almost taken him out when she tried to get her bag out from the overhead storage, shrieking loudly and apologising numerous times. Helmut had assured her that it was fine as Amelia tried not to laugh at the situation. She should find nothing about why they were going to Brussels entertaining, but seeing Helmut hate travelling in economy so much was amusing her.

He tapped his foot impatiently as they waited to get off the plane. Helmut took her case for her and she held its handle as he carried his own. She placed it onto its wheels once they were off the plane and then moved forwards with the throngs of people towards the arrivals gate where the queue to get into the country was also long.

"If you pay for first class then you don't have to queue," Helmut said to Amelia, whispering in her ear as he stood behind her.

"Look at you," Amelia teased him, turning her head over her shoulder, "you're acting like a spoiled child."

"A spoiled child?" he questioned from her.

"Complaining about queuing…about sitting in economy…you know, hardly anyone can afford anything more, right? You were part of EKO, surely you can handle a bit of queuing and discomfort in your life?"

"When I was part of EKO it was a necessity, since then it has never been a necessity," he reminded her. "And don't tell me that you didn't enjoy it when we went to Madripoor."

"If you stop complaining then I'll give you first pick of the rooms when we get to the hotel."

"Is that it?" Helmut asked and Amelia looked straight ahead, not wanting to turn around and see if there was a double entendre behind his words. She could feel him watching her, almost as though his gaze was burning into the back of her head. But she didn't relent. She simply let her lips arch upwards and push her hair behind her ear. Helmut could make out the side of her face when her hair wasn't in the way and he saw the curve of her lips as he chuckled.

Amelia shook her head and whispered lowly. "We have boundaries."

"And I do not believe I have broken any. There has been no PDA."

"But that was flirty."

"It was an innocent question."

"Yeah right," Amelia scoffed sarcastically. "And besides, if anything you owe me after last night."

"I didn't realise you were keeping count."

"We're equals, aren't we?" she retorted and Helmut chuckled once more as she was called forwards for her passport to be checked.

He followed her a moment later and then headed out to the arrivals lounge, looking for his name on a board. He had hired a driver and car to take them into Brussels where he had spared no expense in booking out one of the suites in a luxury hotel in the centre. The drive there was predominately silent, Amelia looking out the window. She had been to Brussels once before on a work trip, but that had been in summer when the weather had been warmer.

In January it felt pretty cold, almost as cold as being back home. She kept her coat firmly wrapped around her as they left the car and moved into the hotel. She noticed that Helmut seemed to have a theme. He enjoyed the luxurious places in life, hotels with large lobbies and expensive furniture and artwork. They took the elevator up to the top floor and Helmut unlocked the door, moving into the room.

There was a small lounge area with mahogany furniture and beige sofas. There were three doors leading off of it that Amelia suspected were the bedrooms and the bathroom. She left her case by the TV stand and headed over to the window, looking at the view over the Parc de Bruxelles, her breath almost being taken away by the view of the greenery in front of her by the Palace.

"This plan should be relatively simple," Helmut informed Amelia, shrugging out of his coat as he saw her do the same, laying the red material down on the couch across from the television. "Dunn lives in an apartment block by the train station. Now, I suggest that we go in together-"

"-How do you suggest we do that?" Amelia wondered, tugging her hair into her hands and playing it with at the back of her head as she held it in a ponytail but had no bobble to secure it in place. She wandered around the room, dropping her hands and looking at the brochures that were on the writing desk against the wall by the window.

"Pretend to ask him to hold the door," Helmut said. "Follow him up to his apartment and do what we need to do before getting out. I will check there are no security cameras by the building and, if there are, I will adjust the plan so that we sneak in through the back…or ensure we go in at an angle where no one can identify us."

"Sounds good," Amelia said, flicking through the brochure.

He arched a brow as he watched her with intrigue at what he was seeing. She seemed almost too relaxed, as if this wasn't bothering her. He let his brows furrow together as he folded his arms over his chest and watched Amelia with intensity.

"Sounds good?" he echoed back to her.

She turned to look to him, closing the booklet she had been reading on the best places to eat in Brussels. Shrugging her shoulders, she watched him intently for a moment. "What do you want me to say?" she questioned from him. "You have a plan, as you always do, and we just need to get in and out…another tyrant stopped from ruining people's lives."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Would you prefer for me to act all hysterical and worried?" she asked from him. "Because I didn't exactly enjoy drama class as a kid so I don't think my acting would be any good."

"No, of course not," he responded with a shake of his head.

"Then just accept that I'm fine," Amelia promised him. "Anyway, when are we going ahead with this plan?"

"As soon as I have scoped out the area," Helmut said. "So, stay here and I will be back in an hour or so."

"Why can I not come?"

"Because it would look suspicious if two of us were seen scoping out an apartment block, so you stay here where it's safe."

"As if," Amelia scoffed. "If we don't have much time in Brussels then I would quite like to explore so I'll compromise. You do your stealthy, spying thing and I'll stay in the city centre…wandering round…looking at architecture…you know, being a tourist."

Helmut shrugged. "Fine," he relented. "Come on, we don't have all day."

Amelia sipped on her cappuccino as they sat in a café just outside of Grand Place. Amelia had marvelled at the large square, drinking in the culture of Brussels and the history, reading every information plaque that she passed. The last time she had been there with work hadn't left her with much time for sightseeing. It wasn't as if she had much time now, but while Helmut insisted on her keeping out of the way then she would see as much as she could.

He had found her in one of the small chocolatiers just off the Grand Place, sampling anything she could get her hands on before purchasing three small bars. She had placed them in her bag and Helmut wondered how she could be so relaxed. But she had ordered them a drink, brushing up on her French, and they had sat outside despite the cold weather. But they weren't alone. There were quite a few others seated outside, smoking and drinking warm drinks.

"What time should he come past?"

"In the next few minutes," Helmut informed Amelia. "And do you remember what I told you?"

"Stare directly at each security camera we pass and smile?" she asked, clearly teasing him with a sarcastic tone. He shot her a silent glare and she rolled her eyes at him. "Relax, I've got it. For this one to work we have to play the loved up couple and look at each other, nothing else."

"That way we keep our faces away from the camera," he said to her. "There's an apartment for sale in his building. We pretend we're there for a viewing, but the estate agent must have gone in. We ask him to let us in and then we do what we need to."

"Yeah, yeah," Amelia said with a nod.

Helmut went silent before he looked back to the street. Looking for any sign of the man, he soon saw him walking past. He was dressed in a waist length winter coat, the beige material almost matching his slicked back blonde hair on the top of his head. Laying ten euros on the table, Helmut stood up and moved to Amelia, hauling her from her seat and giving her no time to finish the sip of drink she had just taken.

She almost spit out the drink as she allowed Helmut to guide her to the street. He moved quickly, an arm wrapping over her shoulders as she took hold of his waist and they looked to each other, pretending to be engrossed in conversation.

"Which one is he?" Amelia wondered.

"Blonde hair, beige coat," Helmut replied. "Don't look straight ahead, just peer slowly."

"And take my eyes off you? Darling, I could never," Amelia said, a hand going to his chest and he rolled his eyes at her as she played her part perfectly, almost over-exaggerating everything. He shook his head as they continued walking and Amelia spotted the man in question.

"You know, I'm amazed that he doesn't have security with him," Amelia said to Helmut. "If he's working for some crime lord then surely he would want to protect his investment."

"I believe he thinks that no one knows what he is doing and they wouldn't…those files took quite some time to decrypt," Helmut informed Amelia and they turned a corner, moving around a gaggle of schoolchildren who were laughing loudly. "And it makes our job easier for once."

"For once," Amelia echoed.

As they approached the apartment block, Helmut took the lead. Dunn was reaching into the pocket of his trouser leg, the grey material crumpling under his movements. Placing a key fob against the main door, it buzzed open and Helmut struck then.

"Excuse me?" he called out and Jason turned his head over his shoulder.

Helmut looked to him, confident that they had avoided being seen on the cameras around the building and, from what he knew, there was no CCTV in the building. He had looked online at the layout of it from the estate agents and couldn't see anything in the communal areas.

Amelia looked to the man and wondered about how strange it was that he had no idea what they were there to do. Did he know the power he wielded? Was he aware? He looked like a homely man, nothing like she imagined a scientist working for HYDRA would look like. His cheeks were rounded and tinged red from the cold. He had narrow lips and dark green eyes.

"Me and my wife are here for a viewing in an apartment…but I think the estate agent might be up there already," Helmut said and Jason nodded. He knew there was an apartment for sale. "Would you mind if we just came in behind you?"

"Sure," Jason said and Amelia detected a British accent. Looking at him as he held the door open for them, she smiled widely.

"Thank you," Helmut said to the man. "So…what's it like living here?"

"Oh, it's fine," Jason said and he began to move towards the elevator. "I mean; the neighbourhood is nice and safe. You'll probably like the apartment. They're all new and modern. Have you lived in Brussels long?"

"We're new to the area," Helmut said. "Aren't we, darling?"

"Yes, honey," Amelia retorted and he still kept his arm around her as they stood by the elevator.

"And what brings you here?"

"Work," Amelia answered him. "He got a job out here and, well, we both agreed that a move out here could be fun. It wasn't as if we were going to split up."

Jason nodded, a kind smile on his face as they stepped into the elevator.

"And what is it you do?" he asked, making polite conversation.

"Oh, he's in marketing," Amelia answered and the doors closed before the smile from her face dropped and she felt Helmut's arm adjust itself over her shoulders. "Nothing as exciting as working for HYDRA, I guess, but you've got to get your kicks however you can."

Jason's face fell then and he looked at the pair of them as the elevator continued climbing. Helmut watched him intently, removing his arm from Amelia, confident that Jason wasn't going to cause them any harm.

"You're HYDRA?" he asked them.

"God, no," Amelia scoffed.

"But we're interested in their work…particularly yours, Dr Dunn."

"I don't work for HYDRA."

"Not now, but you did," Helmut said and the elevator doors opened. "I believe this is our floor."

He gestured for Jason to step out first and he followed him. They had no guns, but Helmut didn't need a weapon to do what had to be done. He had other creative methods. Jason's hand shook as he pulled his keys back out from his pocket and unlocked his apartment door. Amelia and Helmut followed in after him. It was a nice space, Amelia didn't deny that.

"What do you want?" Jason demanded, standing in the open planned kitchen behind an island where Helmut couldn't see what he was doing.

"Step out from there," Helmut demanded and there was something about his voice that told him not to argue with him in the slightest. Jason didn't. He moved back into the open space as Amelia wandered around the living room. There was a small corridor going off of it and four doors leading off from it. The floors were all wooden and the couch was black and leather. The furniture matched the sleek white units in the kitchen and there was a large TV hanging on the wall.

"Sit down," Helmut demanded and Jason did as he was told.

He shrugged out of his coat, leaving him in a white shirt with a dark green tie hanging loose, top button undone. He moved a hand over his stubble covered cheek and sank back in the armchair as Helmut sat down on the couch and Amelia remained stood by the island, watching the scene unfold.

"My name is Helmut Zemo," he introduced himself. "This is my colleague, Amelia." No surname. She said nothing about that, but Helmut was protecting her should anything go wrong. He had no intention of that happening, but he still was not risking her. "We know that you are working on recreating the super soldier serum. We know that you worked for HYDRA."

"That was a long time ago."

"But it was you."

"Yeah, it was," Jason said. "So what do you want?"

"What do you know about the Winter Soldier?" Helmut demanded from him and the man's brow furrowed. Shrugging his shoulders, he moved a hand through his hair, strands of it flopping into his forehead.

"I hardly had anything to do with the Winter Soldier programme."

"Programme?" Amelia questioned.

Jason turned to look to her and she moved towards the couch, sitting on the arm of the sofa near Helmut.

"There was an idea for HYDRA to create a group of super soldiers. They were supposed to be the most elite death squad you can imagine…but they…they became volatile and the programme was abandoned. The serum they used…all I know was that it had side effects. They became unruly. They wouldn't do what was told of them." Jason confessed and Amelia watched him, trying to work out if he was telling her the truth or not. "They tried searching for people to recreate Erskine's serum and they found me. I'd been working at Oxford…in the university…Erskine…I'd studied him for years and I thought I had a breakthrough."

"And how did HYDRA get hold of you?"

"Someone from the government came for me and wanted me to help them recreate it. It was supposed to be all official, but HYDRA…HYDRA got involved," Jason said and shook his head with a soft sigh, a look of regret on his face. "They had double agents who found me instead. They recruited me. They threatened me. I had no choice."

"There's always a choice," Helmut responded.

"No, there isn't," Jason snapped back and continued. "When HYDRA was revealed, I thought that I was free…that I could get away…but there are others who are interested in their work. Others like you two, I imagine."

"We're not interested in recreating the serum," Helmut said to him, his voice firm and leaving no room for contradiction. "We're interested in ensuring that it can never be recreated and you are a danger…if that serum is recreated…the things it could do…"

"You think I don't know that?" Jason wondered from him, voice terse. Helmut watched him intently as Amelia's eyes widened. "I knew what HYDRA wanted with the super soldier programme. I did everything I could to stop it from happening…messing with the formula for the serum…sabotaging ideas I thought might help them. I never wanted to get involved with HYDRA…with anyone. I just want to go back to Oxford. I want to go back home and I want a normal life. I don't want this."

There was silence then and Helmut glanced up to Amelia as she shrugged down to him. Everyone they had encountered so far had been determined for the serum to be recreated. No one had shown remorse for their actions. But this was new. This was a different situation.

"Why did you not get out? If you really want to get away then you could go to the police…get out of here…"

"They have…they have leverage," Jason said. "And you two, I don't know what your plan is, but if they find you then you should be worried."

"We've dealt with worse," Helmut said, acting brave. He wasn't worried about some crime lord. Besides, they had gone in undetected and would leave undetected. He was certain about that. Before he could say anymore, a key turned in the door and Amelia and Helmut froze.

"Who is that?" Helmut demanded to know.

But he didn't need Jason to answer. A moment later, a little girl ran in. She had a pink winter coat on her body, her legs covered in grey tights and her feet in red shoes. She had to have been about five or six, her hair long and blonde down to her waist.

"Daddy!" she squealed loudly and Amelia shook her head as a young woman followed her in. She was carrying her bag in her hand along with a pack-up box. The girl rushed to Jason and flung herself into his arms as the woman placed the bags on the worktop, startling when she saw Jason had company.

"I didn't know you were entertaining, Dr Dunn," the girl said.

"No," Jason said, holding his daughter in his lap.

"Oh, we're not friends," Amelia said, taking control of the situation. "We were looking at the apartment downstairs, but the estate agent never showed up. Jason said he'd show us around his apartment considering the layout is the same…just so we had an idea of what to expect. He was just telling us about the area…you know…good schools…best places to eat."

"Oh, right," the young woman said and she tucked her straight brown hair behind her ear. Pushing her hands into the pockets of the blue winter coat she wore over her jeans and red jumper, she looked to Jason. "So are you alright if I go, Dr Dunn? I have a paper due tomorrow that I need to get started."

"Of course, Maria. Thank you for picking Sophia up."

"Anytime," Maria said, giving him another smile and leaving with a wave.

Once the door had closed again, Helmut continued to sit where he was as Jason ran a hand down his daughter's hair, stroking it softly. "Sofia, why don't you go and play in your room for a bit? I'll be there soon."

The little girl looked hesitant, but after a kiss on the forehead, she stood up and moved into her room, leaving the three adults alone again.

"You have a daughter." Helmut stated the obvious.

"Maria is her babysitter. She picks her up from school when I can't…lives down the hall…she's a good kid," Jason said. "Sophia is only six. Her mother died when she was three from cancer. She has no one except for me and that's why I can't get away. I can't get away because she…I can't risk her."

There was silence then and Helmut knew that this had ruined their plans. He thought about the little girl who was playing in her room, not knowing what was going on. She was so innocent. She didn't deserve to lose her father. But, looking at Jason, Helmut knew that there might come a time when he recreated the serum. How many other people would die if he finally did it and was unable to stop sabotaging his own efforts?

Closing his eyes for a moment, he flexed his hands by his side and knew that he had to do something. Jason Dunn was too dangerous. He was about to stand up and make his first move, but Amelia was the one who got in their first.

"We lost everything in Sokovia," Amelia said and Helmut looked to her, wondering what it was she was doing. "I lost my parents…my fiancé…and it was all because of the Avengers. I hate them…so much…but I know that they fought HYDRA and I have no love for them either. In fact, their ideals are equally as worrying as the Avengers."

"I would say more worrying," he retorted.

"Perhaps," Amelia weakly agreed with him on that point. "But I do know that you have a daughter and I imagine she is your world?"

"Of course."

"And do you think that when she's old enough she'd be proud of her father? Proud of him for staying with HYDRA? For staying with some crime lord who wants to use this serum to do…God-knows what," Amelia asked from him and he bowed his head. "Because I know that you're trying to protect her, but if you make this serum…if they finally find a way to avoid your efforts at sabotaging making it…what do you think they will use it for? It won't be for good. How many people would die because of it?"

"I only care about Sophia," Jason said with a shake of his head, still looking to his lap.

"And I get that," Amelia promised him. "But you need to do the right thing for her…living a life where you're in constant fear…worrying about what they could do to her…it's not right. You need to get out. You need to take your daughter and get away from here."

"And if they find me? If they find her?"

"Do you think that they won't kill you if you don't perfect the serum soon? There's only so long you'll be useful to them and then they'll kill you anyway," Amelia said to him and shrugged her shoulders. "I know that this isn't easy, but I know that you want to do the right thing, so do it. Make Sophia proud and don't let her grow up without her father as well as her mother."

Jason seemed to consider what Amelia was saying as Helmut stood up. Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her into the kitchen and stood inches from her, looking down at her with a glare.

"What're you doing?" he demanded from her.

"The right thing," Amelia retorted. "We can't kill him, Helmut. He's not like the others…he doesn't want this…he's not trying to hurt anyone. He's trying to protect his daughter."

"So long as he lives then he is a danger."

"Not if he gets away from here," Amelia said. "We're not killing him while his daughter is in the room next door. That's not who we are."

But that was exactly what Helmut had been prepared to do. He stood up straight as Amelia pressed her hand to his chest and shook her head.

"We're not like that."

She moved back into the living room and looked to Jason as she stood with one leg crossed over the other, Helmut watching the back of her.

"So?" she asked from him.

"You…I don't know what to do," Jason confessed.

"Well, if you don't go now then you never will. You'll just make excuse up after excuse," she warned him. "So get your passports. Pack a bag. Go to the police station and tell them everything you know. They'll protect you and your daughter. HYDRA are no longer in control of the authorities…and you know that this is the right thing to do. You know that sooner or later you'd have to make this decision so make it now."

"I don't know if I can."

"Well, if you can't then you should know that our true intentions were to come here and kill you," Amelia said to him and he didn't even look surprised. "Our reasons behind it are personal, but…well…let's say that our minds have been changed."

"Hers has been," Helmut said and Amelia suspected he was just messing with the man. She had no idea he was being honest.

"So pack your bags and leave. At least then you have a chance at survival, but if you stay here…you're just buying time," Amelia said. "And then we would have to kill you."

Jason stood up and looked between the pair of them, making his decision in an instant. "Fine."

Sitting on a bench in the gardens outside of the hotel, Amelia held the tray of Belgian frites in her hands, popping them into her mouth slowly as Helmut sat next to her, hands clasped together. Leaning forwards, he clasped his hands together as people passed them in the park, laughing and joking as they went. Looking to him, Amelia frowned and popped another fry into her mouth.

"You alright?" she asked from him.

"I would have killed him," Helmut said to her.

"No you wouldn't," Amelia responded. "And I know you wouldn't. You wouldn't have left that girl without a father."

He grunted, not certain on that one. Amelia reached for the hot chocolate she had sat on the bench to the other side of her. Sipping on it slowly, she folded one leg over the other. The sun had now dipped down and the night had fallen. It was cold, both of them able to see their breath in front of them when they spoke.

"And we made sure they went to the police station," she reminded Helmut. "Plus he knows that we would go back and finish our business if he didn't do this…but he did…and I…as soon as I heard him…what he'd been through…I didn't want to do it. I wanted to help him, not kill him. He was a scared man with a daughter, Helmut. Surely you can appreciate that."

He said nothing to her on that point, choosing to keep silent. And this was the difference between him and Amelia. He saw that man as a threat while he was alive, no matter who he was working for. He saw him as someone who was a liability. But Amelia didn't see it that way.

Helmut had threatened him privately before they had left, warning him not to repeat their names to anyone or to tell them that he could make the serum. He warned him that he would keep an eye on him and Jason had accepted that warning. They had followed them to the police station, watching Jason carry his daughter and drag a suitcase next to him, looking around frantically before stepping into the building.

Only when he didn't come out after an hour had Amelia been satisfied to leave. Helmut couldn't help but think they had made a mistake. Amelia looked to him and she knew that. She knew that he was still worried. Looking to him, she sighed and placed her tray of fries to the side of her.

"I know that you're nervous," she said to Helmut. "And I know that you think we might have made a mistake, but not everyone with the potential to recreate the serum is bad…Jason is an example of that. He was just clever enough to try and do it, but that doesn't mean he should die. He's done the right thing now and he'll not recreate it. I think he just wants to live a quiet life with his child."

"And if he doesn't get that?" Helmut questioned from her. "What if the CIA…MI5…they recruit him instead? It doesn't matter whose hands it falls into: that serum will always be dangerous."

"He's going to tell them that he can't do it so why would they recruit him?" Amelia questioned Helmut.

"And what if they do?"

"And what if they don't? We'd have killed a man who just wanted to protect his daughter. I wouldn't have been able to live with that on my conscience and I don't think that you would have either," Amelia retorted to him. "And I know that sounds ridiculous after everything we have done…who we have killed…but those were people who wanted to hurt other people. He didn't want that. I couldn't have let you hurt him and I think you'd have regretted it."

"He would have been a means to an end."

"That's where we're different, Helmut. I don't see it like that. I told you when we started this that innocent people couldn't get hurt," she said. "And I'm not going to let that ever happen."

Helmut remained silent, knowing that he would keep checking up on Dr Dunn. He would keep his eye on him and do what he could to ensure that if he did crop up on his radar again then he would do what had to be done. But, for some reason, he had let Amelia have her way again today. He didn't know why. But it had happened and he couldn't change the past.

He was silent and Amelia continued watching him. "Are you mad with me?" she questioned from him.

"For having a heart and wanting a little girl to have a father?" he questioned and shook his head. "Hard to be mad with you for that, Amelia…for having a heart…I'm just…wary…worrying that we could have made a mistake."

"I don't want to think we have," Amelia said to him.

"I hope you're right," Helmut said to her.

"So do I, but I guess time will tell. Until then, however, I think we should focus on what he told us. There are more Winter Soldiers that were created."

"And if we find out who was in charge of them then we can find out about December 16, 1991."

Helmut looked to Amelia as she stood by the window in his bedroom of the suite. Her clothes were discarded on the floor and she wore nothing. She was looking out of the full-length glass into the darkness, seeing the city light up in front of her. Helmut sat up in bed and looked to her, the duvet pooling around his chest. He rested against the large leather headboard behind him, adjusting the pillows at the bottom of his back.

"What are you doing?" he questioned from her.

He wasn't entirely certain how they had ended up in this position. One moment they had been in the living area, talking about Dunn again and the next, Amelia had tried to stop him from worrying about letting the man go. Somehow her persuasion had ended up with them both in the bedroom, Helmut completely intoxicated by her as she took charge. He had watched her press her hands to his chest, withering above him as she chased her pleasure.

She had climbed out of bed and gone to the bathroom before moving back to the bedroom and looking out of the window. Helmut simply watched her for a moment or two before he spoke.

"You know, we might be on the top floor, but you could always give people quite the view if they have a similar level room," he said and she turned back to him.

Their room was dark, Helmut not having bothered to switch the lamp on. The light from outside wasn't doing much to help him see anything in detail either. Amelia turned her head over her shoulder and looked back to him as he remained sat up in the bed.

"I was just admiring the city," Amelia said to him. "It's quite something in the night…seeing the buildings and gardens all lit up."

Helmut climbed from the bed and reached for the white robe that was at the bottom of the bed. Picking it up, he shrugged it over his shoulders and moved to stand behind her. Placing the back of his hand on her shoulder, he felt her shudder as his front pressed up against her bare back. Slipping his other hand to her cheek, he turned her face to the side and bent down, capturing her lips against his once more. He kissed her slowly, his thin lips moving over her plump ones as he heard her moan into his mouth once he had bitten down on her bottom lip and gained further access to her mouth.

He drew back after a moment or two and placed his chin onto her shoulder, looking out over the view in front of him. His arm dropped down from her shoulder and went around her waist, her hand going to sit on top of his.

"Are you alright?" he asked from her.

"Fine," she promised him. "Just…wondering what we're going to find the deeper we look."

"I know," he agreed with her. He was also wondering himself.

"And I know that I want to keep going, but I just wonder how dangerous it is going to get."

Helmut nodded against her neck and moved to drop a kiss to her neck softly, her hair tickling his cheek as he did so. He whispered against her skin, his nose brushing along her shoulder.

"I won't let anything hurt you," he promised her and she didn't know how to tell him that, for the first time, it wasn't her she was worried about. She was more worried about him getting hurt and she knew that was ridiculous because she knew who he was. He was more able to handle himself than she was. But still, she found herself concerned for him.

He knew she was thinking, but he didn't know that she was thinking of him. He just knew that he was doing his best to distract her as he moved his hand on her stomach further down and he felt her stiffen against him for a moment as he kissed her again on the neck. "Relax," he urged from her.

"Helmut," she mumbled his name as he whispered in her ear.

"Shhh," he said. "I'm taking control now."

She tossed her head back onto his shoulder and moaned softly, closing her eyes and trying to let all of her worry leave her as Helmut intoxicated her once more.

...

A/N: Thanks so much to my guest reviewer and micrographia - I get a sense you two might be the only ones reading! I do love writing this story. I have so many ideas and can't wait for what's coming up. If you have any suggestions or anything you want to see them I am always open to ideas. Pretty please let me know if you're reading?