Title: Gold Rush

Pairing: CaptainAmerica-WinterSoldier-FemaleOC (poly)

First language isn't English, so please point out spelling or grammer mistakes. Be specific when pointing them out so I can correct them.

Story isn't abandoned, but I'm figuring out how to continue plot-wise and how to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit. Updates will happen slower, because I'm working on multiple chapters to make sure everything makes sence.

Anyway, please review!


Chapter 10 part 1

The next week was a whirlwind. On Monday morning I waited for miss Pots at the office with a fresh coffee and a bag of Subway cookies, which are her favorite. When she arrived, everyone noticed the bags under her eyes, her hair wasn't as neatly combed, her shirt hadn't been ironed and she was wearing flats. Since she had a meeting in the afternoon, I booked her a manicure and called her favorite hairdresser during her lunch break and got her a new outfit to wear. She looked refreshed as she walked into her meeting, with Talia behind her.

Camille was fuming when I came up with Miss Pots in the afternoon. Mister Robinson, the head of the renovations, asked me to inform my collogues they would be moving our desks in the afternoon to the conference room and to make sure our work was out of their way. I was very quick to bundle my papers, but Camille had been so busy, she hadn't had the time and the construction men just pilled everything on top of each other. Their dirty hands had smudged her papers and everything was in disarray. She pulled herself together when our boss walked in, but she screamed into her jacket when miss Pots closed her office door behind her.

"I swear, if I see one more dirty construction butt crack, I'm going to jump out of that window," she complained and pointed to the window I cracked open earlier for fresh air. I turned back to my laptop and told her I would gladly assist her with that.

Thalia wasn't having a great day either. Berry, the creep of the construction team, had chosen her as his latest victim to annoy all day. Does the man actually work at some point? Whenever I saw the woman, I could see the sleazeball walking next to her, trying to impress her with some wild made-up story. She rolled her eyes so many times, I was beginning to think they were stuck in a loop. We saved her whenever we could and she was in miss Pots office most of the day.

During the day miss Pots didn't mention anything about Morgan and mister Stark and I kept my curiosity about their situation to myself, as painful as that was. The two hyenas were constantly around us, so I didn't dare ask. Technically I don't even know something is up and it made me nervous that she was tightlipped about the matter. This wasn't the first time Morgan was in danger and they informed me those times, so I wonder why she's staying quiet about it now.

This Friday is the annual Stark Gala, an event we have been working for since July. I'm looking forward to the evening, for the glitz and glamor of it all, but I am going to be so glad when it's finally over. Everyone is on high alert and running around to get everything done. It's always the most chaotic time of the year. Thalia, Camille and I have to work together to coordinate everything. I hate to admit it but they are very efficient in their jobs, although I could do without the constant commentary and name calling.

"Urgh, sometimes I hate our bosses," Camille's sharp voice interrupted my though process and I looked up curious. She never vocable complained about our bosses, at least not in front of me. She dropped the bags she was carrying on my desk, disrupting my organized work, making me ball my fists in my lap.

"I just got off the phone with mister Stark," she informed me and I got more curious. Why would he call Camille? He doesn't contact the duo much and usually calls me to hand out tasks. Did he say something about Morgan? I stayed quiet and let the hyena continue her rambling: "…like we aren't busy enough, he wants us to organize a New Year's party for the company..."

The Starks don't throw parties often for their employees but when they do, they are amazing. The best food, drinks, music, dance party, the whole shebang basically.

"…and when I say we, I mean you and me. So, after Friday, we have to hurry and find a location fast because everything good or even remotely decent will mostly likely already have been booked," Camille complained and I sighed. Planning a New Year's party with Camille sounds like a drag. I doubt we would see eye to eye about…well…everything to be honest. She would probably want something elegant and clique with a live band, whereas I would go for a full blown out dance party with a DJ. Great, this also means I'm not spending New Years with my friends.

"Did he say anything about a budget?" I asked and turned back to my screen. I was going through Miss Pots' emails and flagged the one's she had to reply to today. I'm already not looking forward to planning this party. We each have our own tasks to take care of and we usually don't mingle in our work, except for the Stark Gala. It was an unspoken rule, but one that was very strictly followed by all three of us.

"Nope! We have free range there, but he did make me get miss Pots old preparations from when she took care of those things. He said to make a party that would match her style," she said and took two of the five bags and walked to her desk: "So I suggest we each go through these over the weekend and get together on Monday to discuss what direction we'll be going with this."

"And why am I getting the extra bag?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I wasn't surprised by her giving me the extra work. And there goes my free Saturday afternoon. I was planning on calling my friends to invite them over to play games, but I guess that can wait.

"Because besides the party mister Stark wants us to organize, he wants me to coordinate this fiasco that is the renovations of our office," she sighed dramatically. I turned back to her so fast, I nearly got whiplashed in the process. But I'm in charge of that? Why would he make Camille take over? He has never done anything like that? Am I not doing a good enough job? Do I need to do more? A bunch of questions and doubts were running through my brain, that I didn't hear the elevator doors open.

"…and he wants me to make sure the renovation is done before the New Year. He was going on about it being a fresh start of the year," Camille continued. He wants it done by the end of the year? How on earth does he expect that to be achieved? I know money buy's you everything, but it can't buy you time. Next week it's already Halloween. That reminds me, I need to ask my friends what we are doing this year. Last year we did a Halloween movie night, what scared the shit out of me. I don't do well with horror movies or basically anything even remotely scarry. They'll probably want to go to some party this year. Maybe Hillary knows someone who's throwing one.

I tired asking Camille for an explanation on why she was taking over my job, for which I was incredible insulted, but she said that our boss only said she was taking over pronto and that was it. I'd though she would be pleased to steal my work, but she wasn't, what surprised me. I didn't see miss Pots for the rest of the day and it annoyed me I couldn't ask her about Camille taking over my job. I barely slept that night, going over everything that possible could have been my fault in the renovating fiasco. From day one there had been problems with communication, backorders of materials, the wrong materials being ordered, then the right one's arriving but they were wrongly measured etc. It's been a nightmare and it's only been going on for twee weeks so far. They hadn't touched miss Pots office yet, but I expect her to move next week, meaning we would all move to a different floor in the meantime.

On Tuesday Miss Pots told me mister Stark needed me in his lab in the Avengers compound for the next two days. In the seven years I've worked for them, I've only been there a handful of times. And I never stayed long. When I asked her if I needed to do anything for her from there, she told me she would be working from home on those days, what baffled me. She rarely does that. Even if Morgan's sick, she'll still come to work and go back and forth during extended breaks. And two days before the gala, the biggest event of the year for her and mister Stark? We were on our way to the second floor where the event would take place on Friday. Miss Pots wants to do a check-up and hear from everyone how it was all coming along. I came in extra early to make sure everyone knew when Miss Pots wants to hear from them and to keep it short. The Starks choice to use their own tower because they invested in planting a very beautiful garden on the terrace. Construction for it started last year and it had taken longer than expected to finish, but my bosses insisted it be ready for the gala. During the event they always donate to various charities and schools and this year they want to lay their focus on more green areas in the city, especially in the work place. During the event they wine and dine with their guests and try to get them to donate to their charities. They really outdone themselves with the garden because it was inspired by the gardens of Versailles and the Schönbrunn palace in Vienna. I'm very pleased with myself that I brought up how beautiful the gardens of Versailles are, what made them look into it. So much lush green and colorful flowers made you forget for a few seconds you were actually in the heart of New York city. The surrounding skyscrapers helped with breaking the illusion, naturally. The plants are changing color at the moment so it's quite the colorful display.

As I took notes while Miss Pots met with everyone, I tried to bring up the courage to ask my boss why they had given Camille my job. Normally I never get nervous around them but this was the first time they had done this and not even told it to my face or given an explanation as to why. It was throwing me of my confidence game.

"Eum miss Pots, can I ask why mister Starks needs me in his lab? It's just the timing seems a bit strange," I asked while I followed her back to her office, where I had the caterer waiting to go over the menu one last time. Miss Pots loves double checking everything. There will be a lot of guest and these day's one has to know everyone's allergies, who's a vegetarian, who's a vegan etc. It's a rather tedious job having to find out everyone's preferences and needs.

"He'll discuss that with you," she said slowly and I looked curiously at her. Could it have something to do with Morgan? Or why he told Camille to take over from me with the coordination of the renovations? Miss Pots noticed my silence and curious stare. She stopped suddenly and I nearly bumped into her. She lowered her voice and kept her facial expression neutral: "It's about private matters that shouldn't be discussed in the open."

I simply nodded and we continued on our way. I wanted to ask her how Morgan was doing. She made me cancel Morgan's soccer practice and piano lesson for this week, but she hadn't given me a clue into why I had to cancel them. I wanted to ask how the kid was doing, but Thalia stopped me before I could. There had been some mistake with the menu and she wanted Miss Pots to know before meeting with the caterer. I lucked out and got dismissed from joining the meeting.

As I arrived back at my desk and saw the stack of work, I still had to take care of before the event I sighed and wondered how on earth I was going to manage the next day's. My desk was filled with tasks I still had to take care of going from last minute invites, to delivery check-ups, meet up with the event planner and go over a few alterations mister Stark emailed me yesterday, pick up a nice gift for mister Stark to give to miss Pots… And then there was the normal every week tasks I also had to take care of. I stayed late at work trying to get as much work done as possible because I didn't know what mister Stark would have me do tomorrow.

When I left the office, I ran into the sleazeball and he offered to drive me home. There was no way in hell I would get into a car with him, alone, and I don't want him to know where I live. A taxi arrived on time and I managed to get away from him quickly. I can't wait for the renovations to be over so that guy can fuck off. By the time I got home, my arms were begging me to drop the bags I was carrying with the files on each guest mister Stark would meet Friday night. For a month I had been doing background checks on them and getting to know everything there was to know about them, to provide my boss with sufficient material to hold a decent and personal conversation with them. The guests need to feel like my bosses actually know who they are. They need to believe they are genuinely interested in their lives. It makes them pull out their wallets quicker. Tessa texted me they wanted to do game night at Michael's place on Wednesday, but I told her I couldn't make it. She called me but I ignored it. She knows the gala is this week, so I figured she would understand. I made myself a pot of coffee and got to work.

I was rudely woken up by the buzzer of my apartment. For a few seconds I was disoriented and wondered why I was sleeping on my desk. But then I realized I had fallen asleep on my coffee table, that was covered in files, as was the floor surrounding me and my couch. Why do they have to invite so many people to this damn event? I groaned as I pulled a piece of paper of my face and stood up. I checked the clock before answering the intercom. Who wants to come over at eleven-thirty?

"Let us in, you bad friend who's been avoiding us," Tessa's voice came through the machine. I looked back at the mess in my living room and sighed. I had so much more work to do, but I also need a break. And judging by my growling stomach, I also need food. I organized my papers and made room in my kitchen for us to sit at the counter. Tessa walked in with a lot of noise, supporting a slightly intoxicated Hillary. She seemed very annoyed and threw her head back towards the elevator: "Why on earth is your elevator not fixed yet?"

"Because the landlord is cheap. I think as long as no one complains too much, he can just leave it be," I answered and pulled three glasses from my cupboard. Since I had been away all weekend and work had been crazy, I hadn't had time to do any of my shopping yet. So, they'll just have to drink wine because apparently that's all I've got at the moment. As for my landlord, I'm far too busy to call the man, who is notoriously hard to get on the phone when it comes to problems in the building. But he will stalk you if you don't pay your rent on time. He's kind of an ass, with a fat beer belly and a balding head he hides beneath a horrible looking toupee.

"I'm sorry for going of the grid, but I'm swamped with work at the moment," I tried to explain, but Hillary being intoxicated, wasn't hearing it and demanded I take a break. Tessa helped her sit down on a chair and I gave her a glass of water. Maybe no wine for her.

"I'm starving, do you have something to eat?" Hillary asked me, her words coming out a bit slower than usual. I eyed Tessa, who simply rolled her eyes and signaled me not to ask. It turned back to my intoxicated friend and shook my head: "I haven't done my shopping yet, sorry."

"I thought you always went shopping on Sunday morning in that cute market two blocks from here?" Tessa asked and dropped down in my couch, not caring she sent my papers flying. I kept my announce to myself. I had been a bad friend with not calling so I deserve the hard time. I just wished she could give it to me next week. Although with the New Year's party I have to plan, I doubt things will slow down any time soon.

"I was busy," I said and noticed Tessa eye me curiously. My rumbling stomach saved me and Hillary freaked out, thinking it was thunder rumbling above my building. She is incredibly scared of it, which is hilarious because she's a big Thor fan.

"I'll get us some food down the street. You go shower and Hillary, why don't you take a power nap," Tessa suggested and Hillary laid her head down on my counter. I wouldn't be surprised if she was out by the time I was showered. I thanked Tess silently and handed her my wallet. I hadn't showered yesterday and I doubt I'll be able to do it tomorrow, so I washed my hair and shaved my legs while I had the time. Miss Pots bought me an outfit for Friday, but I haven't seen it yet. So, I have no clue if it would be a gown or a cocktail dress. She liked for the three of us to match with her and mister Starks outfits, to make sure we don't clash color wise as we will be standing behind them the entire evening.

"Where were you this weekend by the way?" Tessa asked me while we sat together in my kitchen and I was dipping my Chinese dumplings in hot sauce. A towel was resting on my shoulders to keep my wet hair from dripping on my clean shirt. Tessa and Hillary were occupying the only two chairs I have, while I sat on the opposing counter. My living room is small, as is my entire apartment, so it was either put in a table or hang a couple of bookshelves and put plants beneath it. Since my kitchen has a counter where two people can sit at, I chose the bookshelves: "What?"

"I came over Saturday but you weren't here and Brooklyn came by Friday evening to ask you to go out with him and Michael, but you weren't home either," she asked me, while eyeing me intently. It always made me sweat a bit because she had this instinct for knowing when someone was lying to her. I didn't want to tell her where I'd been, but I knew I couldn't say I was home and they just mist me. She would never buy it. I coughed nervously: "Oh, I was out of town for work."

"Really? Where did you go?" Hillary asked while pulling her messy hair into a ponytail. She hadn't fallen asleep while Tessa took care of dinner and I showered, but she looked like she could fall asleep any minute. Tessa kept eying me intently, what made me nervous. I figured sticking close to the truth was the best way to sound convincing: "I had to accompany miss Pots to do a few out-of-town errands. Nothing fancy or interesting really. Hillary, didn't you say last week you were going on a date. How did that go?"

Hillary went off in a full tirade on how the date went and as expected it went badly. Hillary is kind of a nutcase when it comes to dating. She gets overly attached way too quickly. She'll be asking things about his family and how many kids he wants to have some day on the second date, what naturally scares men of. And if a man say's he'll call her the next week and he doesn't, he better be dead because there is no excuse for not calling her. And she will hunt you down and tell you. She reminds me of Charlotte from Sex and the City in some ways: desperate to find the one and get married, but not very realistic when sizing men up. While she complained in rage about her latest date, Tessa eyed me curiously. I avoided her curious gaze, what naturally only made her more curious and me sweat harder: "He sounds like a jackass, forget about him, Hills."

"I know, you're right. Tess warned me he was no good, but he was just so smooth," she complained and Tessa rolled her eyes at her again. I could tell she had heard the story one to many times by now because she was staying unusually quiet about it. She never sugarcoats things when it comes to men.

"Everything he said was exactly what I needed to hear that night. And he seemed to be so considerate and…" Hillary continued, but Tessa interrupted her: "And he was buttering you up Hills. Come on, how many times have we seen guys like that. If they sound too good to be true, they usually are."

"Yes momma bear," Hillary said dramatically and went to use my bathroom. Tess turned so quick in her seat to me, I nearly dropped my Chicken noodles. She grabbed my wrist and looked me dead in the eye: "Liar, liar pant on fire. I saw your boss on Saturday at the National History Museum with her daughter. And you were nowhere in sight. So spill!"

I gulped and tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for why I lied, but her stare was just so intense, it made it hard for me to concentrate. She had this thing where she looked you dead in the eye and waited till you cracked. She should have been a cop or something.

"I was really away for the weekend," I tried to climb my way out of the hole I have dug for myself. She nodded for me to continue. I could see a sparkle in her eye, like she already knew where this was going, but I was not ready to tell her: "I might have made a new friend."

"Who?"

"Wanda Maximoff, she…" I tried to explain, but Tess cut me off: "The witch? You're friends with her? How the hell did that happen?"

"We met at that club opening and then talked at Morgan's birthday party and then at that party at my boss his loft…" I summed up, thinking my explanation was going okay. Technically she did invite me and I did hang out with her.

"You are telling me you went away for the weekend with a woman you've talked to three times? So, it was just the two of you? Do you need to tell me something?" she said with a surprised look in her eye. It made me laugh, realizing she was thinking I hooked up with Wanda. Tess is bisexual, but if you ask me she's just in denial about being a lesbian. With every guy she dates, she turns into this needy control freak, but whenever she's with a girl, she's must more relaxed. Even the breakups are much less dramatic. She's even on speaking terms with one of her female ex's.

"Are you…?" she started to ask, but I cut her off. I did not need her to think I was into women. We went to university together and went to a lot of parties where we got drunk and occasionally kissed. I mean, what's university really for: drunk kissing with your girlfriends to impress the guy your girlfriend liked. You don't have to explain to me that that's never a good way to impress a man, but we were young, drunk and stupid. Luckily Kai and Yuri thought it was hot: "No, no, nothing like that. Just drop it, Tess."

"Just tell me one more thing," she asked me and leaned closer because we heard Hillary was done in my bathroom: "Did some polite conversation take place during the weekend?"

"Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. Just drop it," I said as Hillary returned, but my face turned bright red, telling my friend more then I'd like her to know. Tess changed the subject quickly and they told me about their weekend. Hillary had gone upstate to visit her parents and Tess had been contemplating the whole weekend about quitting her job. She is an elementary teacher but she started working as a nanny two years ago, saying she hated the school systems: overcrowded classrooms and not enough funding to properly teach. She wants to make a difference for kids, but her experiences thought her differently. The only thing her bosses wanted were the kids to move on to the next grade. It didn't matter if the student's barley passed their exams or actually understood what they were learning. The last two years she's been bouncing from one rich family onto the next. She's been with this family for seven months now, but after the third month she was already thinking about quitting. She hates the way the parents ignore their children and never considers them or her for that matter. Tess works more overtime than I do, but I get paid for it. She doesn't even get a thank you. The children seem more like accessories for the parents to conveniently parade when the cameras are around, but to ignore when no one sees them.

"Remind me again: why do you stick around?" I asked her while we cleaned up. I told them I wanted them out of my apartment by twelve-thirty, so I could work for one more hour and then go to bed. They told me I was crazy and should just go to bed immediately, but I knew sleep wouldn't come easy. Besides going away last weekend meant I had a late start on studying all these files.

"Because it's not fair to the children. They're great. I know they needed time to adjust to me and the rules and structure I brought into their world, but they accepted them. I feel like giving up on them," Tessa explained and I smiled at her reassuringly: "You are way too good for that family. I admire your ability to put the kids first, but Tess, it's a job and if you're unhappy, you're allowed too quiet. You've been trying to bring these parents around for five months now and still nothing has changed. And from what you tell us, they take so much advantage of you."

"Alex is right. Those kids aren't your responsibility," Hillary agreed with me. Tessa simply lifted her shoulders and said it wasn't that simple. We knew that was true, but we also know the girl has a hard time when it comes to letting things go. She doesn't want to give up. She truly wants to make a difference in those kids lives, but as long as the parents don't see the problem, she's trying to move a mountain. It is her greatest flaw: her selflessness when it comes to children and their education and upbringing.

Her most annoying quality is her nosiness. I only slept for five hours and was on my way out, when she walked up the steps to my building. She greeted me with the biggest smile and a hot chocolate and told me she would walk me to work. I looked like a zombie and didn't have the energy to fight her off. Happy would pick me up at Stark towers because he needs to pick up some equipment for our boss. We took the subway and she recently badgered me with questions about my weekend. She even threatened to tell the others about my getaway with Wanda Maximoff. I took her threat serious because I knew she would tell them and change the facts to make the story juicier.

"It's nothing big. A few of them were going to a friend's place for the weekend and Wanda invited me to come along," I explained as we made our way down to the subway platform. I don't like taking the subway because of its humidity and generally disgusting men, but traffic is a nightmare at this hour, so taking a taxi was out of the question. I conveniently left out the part where the Captain asked me first.

"Who was there?"

"Wanda, Natasha, Clint, Sam…" I summed up, hoping to leave out the part of the Captain, but the way Tessa was eyeing me I knew she already knew he was there: "Okay fine, yes Captain Rogers was also there."

"Captain Rogers? You are on a first name basis with the others, but he's Captain Rogers?" she asked me and I went stark red. She should only know on what kind of level I am with that man. Butterflies flew around in my stomach as I remembered his lips and body and…

"Judging by your face something more than just polite conversation happened," Tessa told me with utter glee in her eyes and I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my voice even when I told her to shut up. But she assured me she was not going to let this go. After three stops I just gave in: "It was just a nice time, Tess. I hung out with Wanda a lot. We played card games, I might have gotten myself into a playful war with Natasha, we went out for dinner, had a swim, played paintball…"

"Why on earth would you play paintball with those people?" she asked me. We were practically standing toe to toe, our bags clutched between us as more and more people got on the subway. It was already jampacked when we got on, so we found ourselves stuck in the middle, also known as the 'groper zone'.

"Wanda though it was a good idea. I got shot in my hand, it still hurts slightly actually," I said and showed her my hand, where there was still a faint bleu spot in the middle of it. I told her about the game and how Sarah shot me. I left out the part where we were teaming up on Sergeant Barnes though, who Tessa had nick named 'smolders'. It made me laugh because it sounded ridiculous, even though there was some truth to it.

"I can't believe you went away for the weekend with the Winter Soldier," Tessa pointed out when we reached my stop and we got of the subway, luckily untouched by any wandering hands. I was pleased she lowered her voice whenever mention someone's name: "That's not what…"

"I feel like I need to hold an intervention, but maybe I should give the man a change. I mean the whole world did give him one," Tessa interrupted me and I stopped to buy a sandwich and some snacks. I had no idea what mister Stark would have me do all day, so I wanted to be prepared food-wise. It wouldn't be the first time he kept me busy for hours without a break. I chuckled at Tessa her comment and blushed slightly as I pointed out he's actually a nice guy.

"Who's sexy as hell," my friend said with a dreamy voice and laughed as I eyed her curiously: "Come on Alex, you just know he's ripped underneath those layers of black…"

"Urgh, you have no idea," I sighed accidently and went stark red again. Tessa looked at me with huge eyes and demanded I tell her what I meant by that. I stuttered as I told her how I walked in on him changing: "But it was an accident."

"And?"

"And he looked kind of amazing," I admitted and we giggled like schoolgirls as we made our way up the stairs. I was glad to be out the hot and sticky air of the subway and breath fresh air, not that it's really fresh, this is still New York we're talking about.

"Alex and Sergeant Barnes sitting in a tree…" Tessa teased me and I quickly told her to be quite before anyone heard her. I do not need the media finding out that the Starks personal assistant has a crush on the Winter Soldier.

"But what about your polite conversation with the Captain?" she asked me and I cursed inwardly that she realized I was sort of getting to know both men. I hoped she would simply see it as 'he's the Captain's friend, so you have to be nice to him': "What about it?"

"I'm pretty sure you can't flirt with both men, Alex. That's just greedy," she pointed out and I bit my lip to keep quiet. I picked up my pace hoping to arrive quickly and be ride of Tessa and her questions. Luckily New York is so loud, she couldn't hear my heart beating loudly in my chest: "There was no flirting and I spent most of my time with Wanda, so stop picturing things that didn't happen."

"If you say so," she said in a singalong voice and simply asked what the men were like. I could tell her about that and ten minutes later I was ride of my friend and driving with Happy towards the Avengers compound. I asked if the man knew why our boss wanted me there, but the man stayed unusually tight lipped about the mater. I knew he knew about the Morgan situation, he's head of security for a reason, but I didn't dare ask.

The Avengers compound still impresses me greatly. It used to be an abandoned Stark warehouse, but my boss renovated the place after the battle against Thanos. It doesn't look like a huge building, but I know most of the compound is nowadays located underground, including mister Stark's lab. I wonder if I'll run into the Captain or the Sergeant while I'm here. Is the Captain even back from wherever it is he went to? Maybe I'll see Wanda, she does live here. I wonder what that must be like?

Mister Stark was in his lab, accompanied by Peter Parker and Scott Huntington. He's one of the top security guards of the Stark family and usually ghosts miss Pots during events or when she's out of town. He isn't very tall, but he's broad as hell. And his knuckles look like he used to be a boxer or something. He looks like the kind of guy you would actively avoid on a dark street.

Mister Stark looked disheveled and barely gave us any kind of greeting. He pulled me aside before I could say hi to anyone or even ask why the Parker kid was here.

"Taylor, there are files laying on my desk upstairs. I need you to find out anything you can about the people in it. Names, families, bank records…I want anything and everything on them," mister Stark spoke fast and grabbed my arm with more force then necessary. It hurt slightly, but I ignored that: "Are they new clients?"

"No, they aren't. Just find out what you can and get back to me with a status update," he instructed me and nodded to Scott: "He'll help you set up in my office. And no one hears about what you are doing here, Taylor. Are we clear on that?"

"Wait boss, what is going on?" I tried to ask, but got the door shut in my face. Mister Stark looked like he was on edge, so I knew it was best not to push his buttons. I followed Scott to my boss his office and told myself I would get some answers by the end of the day. It wasn't mister Stark's style to be cryptic or vague. If he wanted me to do something for him, he always made sure I knew the reason behind it.

"Do you have any idea on what's going on? Why's the Parker kid here?" I asked Scott while we made our way up the stairs to mister Stark's office.

"He's been acting strange all week and talking to only a handful of people about whatever is going on. I'm guessing it involves his daughter," he told me and I was surprised he didn't know what was going on. After Happy, Scott was the next best thing in the Stark's security system. He helped me set up in mister Stark's office and I quickly got to work. There were a bunch of pictures in the files and only some had names written on a note attached to them in my boss his sloppy handwriting. The first thing I noticed when scanning the pictures, was that the men and women had a military look to them. So obviously no clients. This must be related to Morgan. Maybe they are the ones who took out a hit on her? But what could the military want with mister Stark? And to threaten his daughter? The quality of the pictures varied and most looked like they came from street cameras. On the computer screen hung a note and in mister Starks slobby handwriting it said 'find out whatever you can about them'.

Hours later, my brain was throbbing with a headache from starring to long at the screen and all the food I had brought was gone. I hadn't seen Scott, Happy or my boss in hours and I had no clue where I could find something to eat. Since I had a feeling this all involved Morgan, I tried to work as fast as I could and I was pleased that Friday had a huge range when it comes to getting into databases of other secret organizes. This is so illegal what I'm doing right now. He better give me some answers when I give him a status update! I managed to put names to half the men and women in the pictures and I had some background information on them. Seven of the nineteen people I had identified and are indeed military. Some are still on active duty, while others were discharged for various reasons. Two seemed like good candidates to look deeper into once I identified everyone. One was related to a man who's in prison at the moment on terrorist charges and the other had a record for stealing from weapon manufactures. One face kept popping up though threw my search. It was that of a teenager, with piercing green eyes and a dark brown hair. His face had sharp features and he looked very skinny. He couldn't be older then fifteen. The thing that caught my eye was a mark behind his ear. There were no pictures that showed the mark clearly, but I wondered if it was meaningful. I know there are many people with marks behind their ears, but I have never met one. Sometimes soulmates have their mark in the same spot, but not always, so it could just be a coincidence. Maybe it wasn't even a soul mark and just a big birth mark. Never the less, it intrigued me for some reason.

"Stare at the picture much longer and I'm going to get jealous," a voice whispered in my ear and I practically jumped in my seat, if it wasn't for a metal arm keeping me in my place. The Sergeant's voice tickled my neck and I shivered as his lips quickly brushed against the skin behind my ear: "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a dump like this?"

"Hoping to get saved by a handsome strong man," I answered teasingly and was pleased to find this welcomed distraction in the form of Sergeant Barnes. I was a bit unnerved however by the fact I had not heard him walk in at all. It also surprised me to see the man in my boss his office. I'd think he would actively avoid places he could run into my boss. I gave the man a sly grin as I asked if he knew if any handsome strong men were around. He bit my neck teasingly and whispered: "Sadly no, he's still out of the country."

The Captain hasn't returned home yet?

"So…just you?" I teased the man again. I heard my boss his voice inside my head and a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach showed its ugly head as I closed the files. I don't like to hide what I was doing from the Sergeant, but I respect my boss his orders.

"Well, don't sound to disappointed or I'm taking this bag of cookies to someone else," he told me and pulled a brown paper bag from his jacket. He opened it and the smell of freshly baked cookies it my nose. Oh, they're still warm. I eyed the bag suspiciously before looking back up to the Sergeant.

"What's the catch?" I asked and turned around in my chair. He smirked at me and walked out of the office, signaling me to follow him. I looked around nervously. I have been working for hours without a break and no one has bothered to check up on me, so I'm guessing this area is a bit dissertated. So the changes of anyone running into me and the Sergeant are rather slim. I hope. I decided to follow the man. As I stand up, my muscles ached from sitting in the same position for so long. His playful demeanor disappears as he leaves the office. It reminds me of the times I saw him before I got to know him: head down, eyes to the ground, rigid shoulders. I realized he tried to look as invisible as possible. He made his way to an elevator. I pulled out my phone and sent a message to mister Stark informing him I was taking a fifteen-minute break, in case he would come to his office and notice I wasn't there. As expected, he didn't reply.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked the Sergeant when the elevator doors closed and I pushed my phone in my back pocket. The Sergeant didn't drop his stoic routine, but I didn't mind that.

"We have a suite upstairs," the Sergeant told me and handed me the bag of cookies. My stomach practically growled as I smelled the freshly baked goods. I was delighted to find brown and white chocolate cookies. Wait, when did he get this? Did he know I was here and get these for me? The Sergeant seemed to be able to read my thoughts: "I saw you come in earlier with Stark's security man and I might have noticed you haven't left his office in a few hours. I figured you could use a break."

"Creep," I pretended to cough, making him eye me with a very intense look. He tried to grab the bag out of my hands, but I managed to avoid him: "Watch it, or I'm taking those back."

"No, you won't. These will help me forget your stalker-ish way's, Sergeant," I told the man, who simply rolled his eyes at me. We went up one floor, what happened to be the top floor. I'm guessing this is the area where the Avengers live. Well, the once who don't have a home outside of the compound. I suddenly realize Wanda is probably behind one of these doors and I don't want to run into her at the moment. I much rather be distracted by the Sergeant.

"Do you guy's stay here often?" I ask while following the man to whatever door led to their place. I know the Captain has a loft in Brooklyn, but I wonder if the Sergeant has a home somewhere too. It can't be comfortable to live at your job. Or does he live with the Captain? They do make it sound like that sometimes. The thought of them living together warmed my heart.

"No not at all, so the suite is rather empty. It's just for when we get home late or have to leave early and we don't want to travel from Brooklyn," he explained and pulled out his keys. Their suite seemed to be the last one in the hallway. I wonder which one's Wanda's? I wonder if she lived together with the Vision.

"And sometimes we stay here to unwind after a mission. Get your head back in the right space," he said and opens the door for me. He lets me walk in first and I was glad he told me they barely stayed here because this place looks rather depressing. There were no personal items, anywhere. No jackets hanging around or books laying on a table, the kitchen counters were empty and there were no plants or pictures. A hotel room looks cozier than this place.

"Ah yes, I know all about that. I need a getaway house for when my bosses drive me crazy too," I joked and grab my second cookie.

"I can only imagine what hell Stark puts you through," the Sergeant told me and grabs two glasses from one of the cupboards. He poured me a glass of water while I inspected the terrace they had. The only plus side of this place was the balcony and its gorgeous view of nature. It makes you forget you are technically on a military base.

"So what brings you to our side of town?" the Sergeants asks me when he joins me and hands me my drink. I noticed his hair looked damp, like he recently showered. Maybe he worked out earlier: "I wasn't aware this was your side of town?"

"I think the big A in the front of the building means it's ours, so…"

"Ah, my mistake, I thought it stood for my name. Silly me," I joked and sipped from my glass: "My boss needed me to do some work from here."

"You mean the kind of work he doesn't want others to know about," the man points out and I look at him weary. I don't want to keep secrets from him, but I also don't want to disobey my boss. Oh, I have a feeling that getting stuck between them is very unpleasant. I simply nod and nibble from my cookie.

"Then I won't ask about that man you were staring at for way to long," the Sergeant response and offers me a way to change the subject. I was grateful for it: "Jealousy doesn't become you Sergeant."

"I'm just saying, I'm rather good at finding stuff out about people," he pointed out and his metal arm snuck around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. My drink and snack were quickly forgotten as I leaned into his body and my hands snuck around his waist for a hug. I closed my eyes for a second to take in his warmth and scent. Yip, he defiantly only recently showered. I feel his lips against my hair, making my stomach flutter. I look up with a genuine smile: "Well, why don't you pitch that idea to my boss and I'll hear from him if I'll be employing your assistance in the future."

"Fine, I'll let it go. How has your week been so far? Isn't there some big event this week that the Starks are throwing?" the man asked me and pulled me to the couch. It was a black leather couch, far too hard for my taste. I noticed it was a big couch, much bigger then was needed for two people, but I guess they got this one because of their seize. They'd barely fit on my couch: "The Stark Gala, so my week has been very long and sadly it's only Wednesday."

"What's so special about this gala thing?" the Sergeant asked and laid his arm on the couch behind me, his dark combat boots laying themselves on the coffee table in front of us.

"It's where they announce their projects for the upcoming year and what charities they will be donating too. It's basically a whole event to put them in a bright light and show the word what an amazing work they do and get other rich people to donate their money to local charities," I explained and his hand played with a strand of my hair mindlessly: "Sounds like a long night."

"It is, but I like the glitz and glamour of it. Pretty dresses, men in tuxedo's, Champagne flowing around and not to mention the celebrities that are invited to these things," I pointed out and it was true. It is a tedious evening, but I still want to go. I've met a bunch of celebrities at the event, even got to dance with a handful. Not that my friends ever believed me when I told them two years ago, I got asked to dance by Ben Affleck.

"Should I be worried?" the Sergeant asks me and leans closer to me, mischief written in his eyes. It makes me chuckle and I advert my eyes to keep myself from blushing. I don't want to grant him the satisfaction so easily. God, he smells good I think as his fresh scent hit's my nose again: "Well, I will look rather gorgeous that evening, so maybe you should."

"Maybe I should make sure you remember what's waiting for you at home?" he whispers while leaning closer so our foreheads touch. I bit my lip as my heart starts beating faster. I automatically lower my voice as I respond: "Maybe you should, Sergeant Barnes."

I gasp as his arm snuck around my wait and before I know it, I'm sitting on his lap, straddling his waits. Thank God I'm not wearing a skirt today. He sits up so our foreheads touched again, my eyes staying focused on his lips as he spoke Oh, those lips that made my knees wobble and my skin tingle: "It's Bucky, ma'am."

"Are you going to kiss me any time soon, Sergeant?" I practically growl because I want to kiss him, but I don't want to be the one who makes the first move. My heart was beating loudly in my chest and I shiver as his fingertips gently slid up my arms and cupped my face. He teases me by kissing everywhere but my lips. I want to capture his, but he keeps me in my place. His trusty smirk hangs on his lips as our eyes meet: "What's your rush?"

"My break is nearly over and I'd much rather be doing other things, Sergeant," I reply boldly and tilt my head, looking up at him with a meaningful look. His smirk only grew. I try to close the distance between us, but he stops me. His breath hits my lips in a far to enticing way when he speaks: "Ask me nicely."

"Please kiss me," I whisper slowly, my eyes focusing on his lips and the way they move. He has a noticeable five o'clock shadow on his cheeks, but I don't mind that.

"Say it," he tells me and I meet his eyes, wandering for a second what he means precisely. But one look told me enough. I bit my lip and he mutters with a husky breath that I need to stop doing that. I like being able to tease him. I sit up, pushing my chest against his firm chest, while his hands slide to my hips. God, what am I doing? My whole body feels like pudding in his hands.

"Say it ma'am and stop wasting our time," he teases me, a very playful look in his eyes. His grip on my hips is much firmer than is necessary, but I like being pushed against him. My legs would be trembling by now had I been standing up. His lips find my neck and leave the softest kisses I have ever felt. I couldn't help but gasp as the feeling of this strong man being so gently warmed my whole body. My lips find his ear and practically moan when I whisper: "Bucky."

His soft and gently touches are replaced by firm and intense once, making my heart leap into my throat as his lips crash into mine. My arms sneak around his neck and seize the opportunity to feel as much of his broad frame as possible, savoring it with every fiber in my being. His kiss is heated and I melt against him as he deepens the kiss roughly. I moan and he chuckles as he makes my head spin with everything that he does. Every part of his body that my hands could feel, felt hard, making me grow warm all over my body. It's strange, for it was something new and yet it felt like the most natural thing in the world. I remember the Captain's words from that night on the beach. I broke the kiss and he growls disapprovingly, what makes me shiver in his hands: "Tell me your mine."

"I'd think that was rather…" he wants to joke, but I interrupt him by kissing him quickly and roughly and then ending it abruptly: "Say it."

"Stop teasing me or…" he tries again, but I repeat my action, his hands sneaking around my body and changing our position. I feel the hard couch touch my back and my heart skips a beat as this incredible handsome man stares down at me with lust in his eyes. He tries to kiss me, but I stop him. I know there's no way I could actually physically stop him, so I was pleased he let me. I bite my lower lip and he practically growled as I repeated my question. The corners of his lips turn up in a grin and he makes me gasp as he rolls his hips against mine, making sure I felt more of him then I had before.

"On one condition, ma'am," he whispers against my lips and I wonder how I am ever going to get back to work after this. I nod my head for him to continue and he repeats the question back at me, his lips touch the mark behind my ear. His touch on my mark and saying those words felt very deliberate, like it meant more. As he pulled back and I met his eyes, I understood his double meaning. I blinked as the meaning downed on me. He took this as hesitation and I could see panic enter his eyes. He wanted to pull back, but I pushed myself up and whispered against his lips: "I'm yours, Bucky."

"Are you su…" he wants to ask, genially surprised by my response, but I didn't let him finish and kiss him again. The same feeling I felt that night with the Captain fills my body when I tell him I am his and I savor it. I realize why the Captain used those words that night: 'Tell me your mine, like I'm yours'. He knows. He also knows about this, about this shared connection. As loving and fulfilling as my previous relationships have been, this felt different. This felt like a part of me, like something that was cemented in the core of my being and I finally found it. And it just made sense, even though we didn't know each other that long or we each had our own pasts that influences our lives. His lips leave me breathless as he kisses me and speaks words of promise and commitment. I feel like an absolute mess by the time we are interrupted by my phone. The Sergeant tells me to leave it, but it's my boss' ringtone, so I can't ignore it. He bits my neck as I pick up, trying to keep my voice even as I ask what he wanted. I lay emphasis on the word boss, hoping to slow the Sergeant down, but he only grins at me and tightens his hold on my body. For a man with super strength, his firm hold on my body felt reassuring and yet intoxicating.

"I need you in my lab in five minutes," mister Stark's voice comes through my phone and from his tone I can tell he is stressed out. God, he really is in a foul mood. I should do something about that when I manage to get myself free from this beast of a man, who's lips are currently traveling down my neck: "I'm afraid my break is over, sergeant Barnes."

"Can't you tell him you got lost?" the man tells me before his lips meet mine again. I moan as he deepens the kiss, making him grin against my lips: "You sound like you are enjoying yourself, miss Taylor. Are you sure you can't stay any longer?"

As much as I agreed with him, the voice of my boss had given me a dose of reality. I'm at my job and as much as I want to stay here and continue this, that's not going to happen. Besides, the man grinning down at me was enjoying the fact he was turning me into an absolute mess far too much, so I push him away and boldly stated: "No, because I won't be able to keep my hands from ripping your clothes of your body."

His lips faltered for a moment, taken aback by my bold statement. But then they rise again and he grins at me with a predatory look in his eyes. I was growing far too uncomfortable in certain areas and as he leans down, I feel him deliberately push something hard into my thigh. He seems to be having the same problem as me, but that is the desired side effect of a steamy make-out session. His lips turn up into a smirk as his nose touches mine gently: "And would that really be such a bad thing?"

"As much fun as we are having Sergeant, my fifteen-minute break is over," I repeat and push him up, allowing me to sit up and run my fingers threw my hair. I probably look like a mess and I have to face my boss, great.

"What an unsatisfying conclusion, miss Taylor," he growls into my ear before I stand up and make sure my clothes don't give away what I have been doing during my break. Yes, this was a very pleasant and much disserved break. I grab the forgotten glass of water and drink it empty to calm myself before turning back to the man, who is still sitting on the couch. He leans forward, his elbows on his knees and for a split second I contemplate about returning to his lap. Thankfully I have enough self-control to stop myself: "Don't worry Sergeant Barnes. Everyone knows that pro longed foreplay gives the best end result."

"That sounds very promising, miss Taylor," he tells me and walks me to the door. I have no doubt he'll be staying here for a while, but I didn't let my mind wander as to why that could be. I felt how excited his body had grown during my break.

"We should do this again some time, Sergeant Barnes," I tease the man before opening the door. He stops me and one hand caresses my cheek softly. He leans down and kisses me one more time, his intense demeanor replaced by a gentler one: "Yes miss Taylor. I won't make the mistake then of letting you get away."

My knees wobble as I leave and I am pleased when I'm alone in the elevator because I can finally catch my breath. Oh, that man is just… I can't believe this is happening. This is actually real and not some fantasy I'm going to wake up from. They are actually my soulmates?

Mister Stark yells at me for making him wait, but I'm in such high spirits, I couldn't care less. I simply let him shout out his frustrations, that probably have nothing to do with me and nod along. It gives me time to collect my thoughts and calm my fluttering heart. When he practically starts pulling his hair, I physically stop him and help him calm down. After seven years, I have seen this man have enough mental breakdowns to know how to handle them.

"Why don't I make you an Irish coffee and you actually tell me what's going on," I suggest once he's calmed down and while rubbing his shoulders in an effort to help release tension.

"No, give me a status update first," he says, but I insist on making him a drink first. On my way back to him, I grab him a clean shirt from my bag and some body spray, since he smells like he hasn't showered in a while. He cracks a small smile as I use his favorite quote while telling him to fix himself up: 'We can't have our genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, fiancé, father and let's not forget mechanic, look disheveled as he goes off and makes the world a safer place'. He fixes himself up while I go over the pictures and tells me to either drop the suspect or dig deeper into his or her lives.

"I think these two men are interesting since one has a link to terrorism and the other likes to steal from weapon manufactures and let's face it, that seems to be up your ally," I point out while he sips from his coffee.

"Dig into the terrorist, I'll let Parker look into the other one," mister Stark tells me and pulls up his phone. Why would he want the Parker kid to look into this? I can perfectly keep digging into this man's past. I fidget with my fingers for a few seconds and I am pleased to see my boss notice it. He sends me a knowing look, that I know is reserved for certain individuals, such as myself, Morgan and the Parker kid.

"I can keep looking into this guy," I say nervously and I feel stupid for it.

"Parker and Happy are looking into a case of missing Stark equipment. He could use this lead," my boss explains and he nods to the seat next to him on his couch. I slowly sit down and try to explain that I am capable of taking care of it, but he interrupts me: "Let Parker look into that, we have a more pressing matter to look into and one or more of these people in those files are involved. All are connected to some secret group, but I don't know which one and what they want from me. I need you to focus on finding out whatever you can, even the smallest things can present itself into a lead that gets us somewhere."

"Do you really have no clue with what they want, boss? I mean no one you pissed of recently or some new secret thing you're working on they might want? Your nano-technology is incredible, couldn't they be after that?" I summed up, knowing he probably already went over all those possibilities, but still…

"No, this is more personal," he states in an unusual cold tone. I look curious at him and nod for him to continue. He eyes me and I can feel him sizing me up, what makes me uncomfortable. Why would he be doing that? Does he not trust me?

"Because they are targeting Morgan for it. It can't be just about my machines or some petty revenge scheme," he explains after a very heavy minute of silence. Even though I already know about this, my reaction still comes automatically. I keep myself from asking unnecessary questions, knowing my boss will have taken care of putting Morgan in a very secure place and with the best protection he could provide.

"Is there anything I can do, besides looking into these files?" I ask but he shakes his head and tells me to get back to work. I stay until my boss is ready with his work and insist on bringing him home. I practically have to drag him out of his lap, but a few gentle reminders of his fiancé waiting at home for him, help with getting him in his car. He was a little annoyed I didn't let him drive us. I felt like a nervous wreck as I fired up the engine of the Lamborghini. Mister Stark enjoyed himself by overreacting to everything I did and saying I better not wreck his car because it was worth more than anything that I owned. I indulged him for it seemed to lift his spirts.

Miss Pots is surprised but also very grateful when we arrive at their loft. She takes mister Stark from me and calls a cab to drive me home. As I left their place, I heard mister Stark yell at me from the kitchen his thanks and miss Pots sent me a knowing smile.

"No problem boss, see you tomorrow."