Fifteen

"Do you have any idea just how stupid that stunt was?" Coulson complained as he paced back and forth in the ER.

Less than two hours had passed since the incident in the base. Emily was taken to a medical facility not far from the base where they'd already used a regenerator to remove the shrapnel and reform the broken skin. She was relieved that it hadn't scarred over completely. The tissue was still tender, making it difficult for her to move without causing further pain.

Coulson was the first to arrive and scold her after finding out that she put her life at risk. Again. Though he wasn't surprised she'd resorted to such lengths, that didn't make him any happier. Then to make matters worse, the agency had gotten word of Kirk's latest folly.

Emily knew in the back of her mind that Kirk would likely be taken into custody during this mess. It made her task that much more difficult, because she also knew that the agency was pulling a lot of strings to make the situation work out for everyone.

It isn't as if I asked for this kind of life, she thought bitterly. I didn't even want to wake up in that ICU.

Her heart sank at the thought of what could have happened if that occurred. She could still remember McCoy's reaction when she finally poured her heart out and told him how she really felt. He'd been shocked, of course. Eventually though he learned from the mistakes he made and was still living with those regrets.

She swallowed hard at the thought of how she would handle the situation with Kirk. She and McCoy had been keeping in touch since the incident at the base, though she didn't have the heart to tell him what happened. She suspected that Kirk had already told McCoy the truth, though she hadn't heard from Kirk since that mess either.

"Yes, I do know, Papa," she rolled her eyes when Coulson gave her an apprehensive look. She tried sitting up, only to feel a sudden pain bolt through her. "I also know that if Clint had shot Director Fury, he would never forgive himself. The Council would only use this as an excuse to fire him."

Coulson's brows furrowed together with annoyance when he realized she was just defending the archer. He knew she would continue doing so… they were more than friends, after all. Yet his thoughts suddenly drifted back to what Clint had told him weeks ago. She hadn't been the same since she was reassigned to the base.

He was well aware that something had begun eating away at her. She was too stubborn to admit when she needed to talk to someone, and he suspected she wouldn't do so unless the situation demanded it. He let out a sigh of frustration and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I get that you care about everyone else's life above your own, but I care about you, Em," Coulson reminded her with a pointed look. Emily grimaced when he suddenly took hold of her hand, carefully rubbing her wrists where the scars were hidden by the suit she wore. "And I know I'm not the only one who does."

Emily held back a sigh as she caught the hidden threat in his voice. Coulson was well aware of the fact that she and McCoy had been seeing each other again. The fact that McCoy had known about her past and that it didn't scare him away said something about his character. He'd grown since the time they split up, and she wouldn't want him any different. She loved the man for who he was.

"I know… I've already talked to Leonard about what happened, and he wasn't happy with the news," she admitted guiltily. Coulson rose an eyebrow as she pulled her wrist back. The suit had to be taken off because the doctors needed to repair the damage caused by the bullet wound. In a few hours she would put it back on, if not sooner. "We're still not any closer to finding the Tesseract or the asshole responsible for taking it."

Coulson shook his head in amusement as he realized she would always jump to McCoy's defense, regardless of what he did. He supposed she could have chosen a worse partner. At least McCoy actually cared about her where most of the men she had been with hadn't. Reluctantly he pulled away, knowing full-well she didn't like being doted on.

"The boss wants you to be apart of something bigger than the agency," he finally deadpanned after taking a seat next to her. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise when he handed her a data PADD with information stored inside. "I'm sure you've heard about the Avenger's Initiative?"

"Maria mentioned it on more than one occasion," she replied with a nod.

"With your powers and the way you're able to connect with people, he thinks you're a good candidate for the Initiative," he explained.

She couldn't help but stare at the file in surprise when she realized what he was implying. She knew Fury had been planning on developing the program for years. When she first joined the agency, she had seen the symbol for the program scattered among the paperwork she had to sign. Though she was young at the time, she knew what his true intentions were to let her join the agency.

"Are you sure?" she asked skeptically.

"I know you're more than capable of handling this situation," he reassured her with a knowing look. "Emily, I've seen what you can do in a firefight. I've seen how much you care about people. And truthfully, I couldn't ask for a better agent to join this program."

Her face lit up for a whole different reason when he carefully pulled her in for a hug. Despite her injury, she returned the gesture without hesitation. She knew this was a huge opportunity for anyone, including herself. The fact that Coulson trusted her enough with this program was what really amazed her. She knew years ago he would have never jumped at the opportunity. Maybe now that he'd seen how much she changed, he was willing to trust her just a little more. And maybe now it was time for her to trust him as well.

.

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It was late by the time Steve returned to his apartment. The message that Director Fury left him had been confusing at best. He had escaped to the gym after finding that he couldn't sleep. Despite the fact that he should have been, working out was a good way to keep his mind off the nightmares that occasionally haunted him. When Fury mentioned that an object known as the Tesseract had been taken by a madman, he knew nothing good would come out of it.

The only consolation he'd had before crashing the plane was knowing that the Tesseract was hidden from prying eyes. Of course, nothing lasted forever. SHIELD must have found the cube years before he was found. He could already imagine what sort of chaos would follow if it was found by another agency aside from SHIELD. After hearing the stories Emily told him about Starfleet, his thoughts churned with anxiety over what they would do with that kind of energy. To him, the cube should have been left at the bottom of the ocean like he'd hoped.

Steve frowned when his thoughts drifted back to Starfleet.

When Emily first mentioned the Fleet, he had been tempted to enlist. But then she started talking about the way she had been treated when they discovered she had powers. Anyone with enhanced abilities was likely frowned upon for fear they would lose control on a ship. While he understood their fears, it still left him feeling doubtful whether or not it was worth enlisting.

The worst was when she had explained how the Fleet would handle someone with the Super Soldier Serum. Considering everything that happened with the eugenics war, he couldn't blame them for reacting that way. Especially if the serum was responsible for leading said war.

Though truthfully, he had been hoping to see how different Starfleet was compared to the military. From what he had been able to gather, the Fleet explored beyond their own galaxy to discover new civilizations. There was something almost poetic about it, and the more he thought about it, the more he wished he could have taken the risk to enlist.

He shook his head at the thought, knowing that dwelling on it wouldn't get him anywhere. He'd already made his choice clear when Emily explained the situation revolving around Starfleet to him. After everything that had happened, enlisting was probably the worst idea he could come up with. Joining SHIELD was another way of helping the world, and following in Peggy's footsteps.

It wasn't until reaching the steps to his apartment that he tilted his head to one side curiously.

Music could be heard playing loudly from the radio he'd fished from the dumpster. Curiosity got the better of him as he opened the door and made his way inside. The apartment itself was small, but modestly sized compared to most in the city.

The only furniture that decorated the main living area was a couch. Any essentials that were normal for anyone else he found in the city. So he quickly rounded on the kitchen when he noticed the music was coming from there.

Steve rose an eyebrow in surprise when he saw that someone was in the kitchen. Watching her hum to the music as it played in the background was amusing enough. But his eyes fell upon the array of condiments littering the counters. Sandwiches were already made, stacked on a plate along with a couple cans of soda she'd pulled from the fridge.

He couldn't help but watch the scene unfold as she moved from the counter back to the fridge, pausing when she caught something from the corner of her eye. While she claimed to be a terrible cook, he could see that she'd made good looking sandwiches. And he smirked in amusement when her eyes finally met his. Heat immediately rose to his cheeks when his stomach growled from the scent wafting towards him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked after recovering from his initial surprise.

He quickly reached for a sandwich, blinking in surprise when an explosion of flavor covered his taste buds. He wouldn't have expected a sandwich taste so good, especially when only a few ingredients had been used. After hearing her talk about where she grew up, it suddenly made sense as to where she learned those kind of skills.

Emily hardly looked as surprised as he felt upon seeing him standing there. It was clear she had intentionally broken into his apartment to make the sandwiches. Though, he was still trying to figure out why that was the case. It wasn't as if people normally broke into someone's apartment just to make sandwiches. She had to have a good reason for breaking in.

"I was in the neighborhood… I figured I might as well stop by to see how you've been holding up since we last saw each other," she replied with a shrug. "You're out of mustard, by the way. I figured I'd stock up the fridge since you haven't done that already."

Steve rose an eyebrow in surprise after noticing that she had stocked up his fridge. He wasn't surprised that she was capable of doing that. More so when he'd seen what she was like outside the agency. He only caught a few glimpses of her here and there, but he had seen her with Mr. Stark on more than one occasion.

He couldn't help but wonder at the fact that she was willing to put up with so much. Even though that had been in the past, it was clear she still kept in touch with the people she cared about. Then there was the fact that she was able to hold her own in a sparring match. When he faced her in the gym for the first time, he'd been terrified of hurting her. He quickly learned not to drop his guard around her, or women in general.

He hadn't been going out the way he normally would have if it was the 1940s. The problem was, he found the whole idea of being in an entirely new century daunting. It was overwhelming trying to find his way around the city, even though everything seemed familiar in a sense.

His expression wavered slightly when he saw her flinch upon moving. It wasn't until looking down that he noticed she was trying to hide what appeared to be a nasty injury on her stomach. He was tempted to stop her when he thought better of it. Knowing that she wouldn't likely thank her for babying her wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Emily, what happened to you?" he asked warily.

He gently lifted her chin up with his thumb, careful not to hurt her. He had gotten to know Emily well enough to understand that she tended to hide whatever pain she was in. She was stubborn as all heck – a quality that he both admired and often got frustrated with. But something was just off about the way she moved so stiffly, and he was worried that she would strain herself just to prove a point.

"It's kind of a long story," she admitted and tore her gaze away when he tried making eye contact. Steve's brows furrowed together in frustration. She was always so complicated to read. She masked her emotions so well that it was impossible to understand what was going on in her mind. "How are you enjoying Manhattan?"

"Well, it's not nearly as daunting as I thought it would be," he admitted truthfully. He had been trying to explore the historical sites. Anything to get a taste of the past that had haunted him for so long. "One good thing is, you don't have to worry about transportation being a problem."

"Yeah, that's the one great thing about modern technology… and the twenty-third century. No need to worry about whether you have no source of a ride," she replied nonchalantly, handing him another sandwich while taking a bite out of her own. "Best part is the food. Can't go wrong with a good homemade sandwich."

"No, you certainly can't," he replied with a slight chuckle, knowing that at this point, she was only stalling. "I was told there would be a debriefing package waiting for me," he put in as she grabbed two bottles of soda and tossed him one before opening her own. "Unless… you are my debriefing package."

He grimaced at the thought, realizing that might have been the only reason she was stalking his apartment at all. Emily had a lot of reasons to stay in Starfleet of all places. He'd seen what she was capable of as a friend. While she had pushed him towards joining SHIELD, that didn't stop the feelings towards her from rising in his chest.

She was different from other women he'd met. She didn't try flirting with him on a constant basis like the women who recognized him as more than just Steve Rogers. In fact, there were multiple times when she had downright terrified him with that temper of hers.

Yet, she was also gentle and caring towards the people she trusted. That was one of the reasons Steve admired her. Because she put her faith in people who would just as easily turn their backs on her. There weren't too many people like her that he'd met in today's world.

But then his thoughts drifted back to the way she had been acting while they were at the base. She would sometimes bring up the people she worked with in Starfleet, and there was one Cadet she'd shown a particular interest in. Steve's brows furrowed together as he recalled how fond she sounded when she talked about either Cadet. He knew better than to press on someone's personal life. Although it was tempting to ask who the stranger from Starfleet was, and how they'd gotten to know each other.

"Your intelligence is actually higher than I thought," she remarked.

Steve just rolled his eyes in amusement as he opened his bottle and took a sip.

"So… what exactly does Fury want me looking for when it comes to the Tesseract? And how are you involved with all of this?" he finally asked.

She got right down to business, much to Steve's surprise. How she could go from totally lax to professional within seconds was beyond him.

"Less than twenty-four hours ago, a madman known as Loki stepped through the portal and threatened war upon Earth," she explained without missing a beat, "Not only did he take the Tesseract, but he's also turned two men against us. One of them being my best friend, and partner, Hawkeye."

That was enough to catch Steve's attention. While he didn't know much about Hawkeye, he did know that she and the archer were close. They were like a pair of siblings constantly squabbling with each other over the slightest things. To hear that her partner and her best friend had been taken was enough for Steve to understand why she was so determined to bring the Tesseract back, and stop Loki.

"That doesn't explain why you're limping," he pointed out.

She grimaced before giving a slight nod.

"Right… I may or may not have taken a bullet that was meant for Fury when Barton was turned against us," she replied. "He was more than my partner, Steve. He's saved my ass on more than one occasion."

His eyebrows furrowed while he listened to her story of what had happened at the SHIELD facility where she and Barton had been kept at during the whole episode. To say he wasn't surprised by her actions was an understatement. Emily was the kind of person who would go out of her way to help others, even if they didn't want it.

Steve studied her carefully as he tried taking everything in. He knew that she was hiding something else. Her expression finally wavered when her com went off. He rose an eyebrow as she picked it up, typing a message after reading it warily.

"Whatever happened with your mission regarding Starfleet?" he suddenly asked warily.

Emily flinched visibly, and once again, Steve was inclined to ask what was bothering her. Starfleet seemed more like a scapegoat for her than anything else. She had been working for SHIELD far longer, and had family in SHIELD. He suspected she would have wanted out of Starfleet sooner rather than later.

"That's kind of complicated," she sighed. Steve didn't miss the look of longing flash across her eyes. He was caught off guard with her sudden change in expression. Had she met someone at the Academy? Was that why she had been so determined to push him away? "Someone found out that I work for SHIELD, and they've been sending me messages nonstop asking why. The only reason he hasn't brought it up to the Council is because he knows his ass will be arrested for hacking into a secure database."

Steve cringed at her colorful use of language. He'd known she wasn't afraid to swear in front of him or anyone else for that matter… and there were times when he wished he was that bold. Though when he caught the dark look sweeping across her eyes, he knew something else was going on. He wanted to ask what was bothering her, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. It wasn't in his place to ask what had really happened.

He held back a sigh of frustration as she ignored him entirely and looked down at her com when it went off a second time. The com itself had been going off sporadically, telling him that she was busier than usual after the incident at that warehouse.

"Has Captain Rogers been briefed?"

She quickly looked between her com and Steve. He quirked an eyebrow at the sight, not missing the fact that she seemed weary before answering.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Very briefly," he nodded in agreement. Steve glanced at Emily self-consciously as she paused for a moment, looking at him in surprise, "Is that Agent Coulson?"

She nodded. Emily grabbed her duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder before tying her hair into a ponytail. Steve had to admit, he preferred seeing her hair in a ponytail. It was just shoulder-length, wavy blond that seemed to bring out her dark brown eyes.

Steve frowned when he noticed the data PADD she pulled out of her duffel bag. Dozens of messages had been sent to it – mostly from Starfleet Academy. He glanced at her warily as she quickly typed in several new messages, most of them sent to either Coulson or another agent known as Maria Hill. Another had been sent to someone he didn't recognize; a Starfleet Cadet he assumed. Steve rose an eyebrow at the sight, not missing how she seemed to study that message more than the others.

"They're persistent, aren't they?" he asked carefully, knowing the subject of Starfleet would likely make her feel uneasy.

"You don't know the half of it," she sighed irritably, "Most of them are from my instructors, but a couple are from Pike asking if I'm going back. The rest are from Kirk… he's the one who found out."

She paused when another message was sent, this one from someone other than the names she listed. Steve rose an eyebrow curiously when he noticed that they'd sent several messages, most of them regarding her situation with Kirk. His brows furrowed together when he noticed how her face seemed to pale when another message was sent to her. He recognized McCoy's name from the database, and from what she'd told him.

At the time when they had been working together, she seemed fond of McCoy. Though he'd never had much experience with love, he knew when someone else was in love. And there was a time when Emily had been in love. After everything that happened, she would never experience something like that again. She was done letting people hurt her.

.

.

The Academy was bustling with activity as Kirk sauntered across the campus courtyard. Cadets milled about, some sitting under the trees while others headed to the lecture halls. Kirk eyed some of the women curiously, hoping to get their attention as he tried pushing thoughts of Coulson and his recent discovery out of his mind.

When he talked to McCoy about it, he was more than surprised to find that the doctor had already known the truth about her past. What surprised him the most was how accepting McCoy was of her actions. Kirk was angrier than ever as he realized that Coulson practically had McCoy wrapped around her fingers. He only knew that she couldn't be trusted, especially after finding out about her role with the agency.

Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the moment he read further into her history. Reports were made of how she joined the agency. Along with psychiatric reports. When Kirk dove deeper into her profile, he saw things he wished he hadn't. Reports were made on self-harm and even attempted death.

All of this had occurred after she was taken into captivity and eventually taken back by the agency. He wasn't sure how to react as he realized that this woman had been through hell and back. She had always seemed carefree and happy around them, but deep down, it was all an act. Kirk knew the signs of depression when he saw them. And it was clear she had been suffering from her share of depression in the past.

He'd tried reaching her com several times after that, hoping to get more information from her. Of course, he doubted she would ever tell him anything. But at least he was trying to understand the reason behind her history. When he finally managed to reach her, the first words tumbling out of his mouth was an accusation aimed towards her role within the agency. Things had only gone from bad to worse when he heard the sound of phasers firing in the background, followed by an explosion.

Whatever had happened to her must have been serious if she left her com on. He tried talking to McCoy about it, but the doctor had simply ignored any attempts he made at talking about Coulson. It was clear McCoy didn't want anything to do with her. And Kirk suddenly found himself wondering if that was the reason behind her depression. After all, they had been seeing each other prior to when she was taken.

"Bones, there you are!" Kirk finally spotted the doctor in question standing at the edge of campus. He was relieved to find some form of distraction. Though his relief was short-lived when he spotted someone approaching them dressed in a familiar uniform. Kirk scowled at the figure in question before looking back at McCoy anxiously. "I was hoping we could go out for a drink tonight."

"You just couldn't leave it alone, could you?"

Kirk frowned when he glanced at the brunette approaching them. One withering look at McCoy was all it took for him to guess this woman was from the agency. Kirk's eyes narrowed with annoyance as he realized this was far more serious than he anticipated. It didn't take long for him to figure out that the brunette in question was a good friend of Coulson's. It explained why McCoy was so calm around the woman, although Kirk didn't miss the tension brewing between them.

"Hacking into our database is a breach of security, and it effects the government as well," the woman explained after rolling her eyes at the look Kirk was giving them. Kirk merely glowered back when she crossed her arms over her chest in an intimidating manner. "We're taking you into custody."

It took a few seconds for those words to sink in. Kirk's face fell as he recalled seeing the odd looking insignia on the corner of his data PADD screen. He recalled how difficult it was to hack into the system without finding the right binary codes. Eventually, he managed to break through, and what he found was something that left him feeling nauseous. The fact that Coulson had been able to enlist in Starfleet without much of a problem was what bothered him the most. It was clear she had been hiding more than anyone could have imagined.

"How is it that I did anything wrong?" he deadpanned.

When McCoy rolled his eyes at his question, Kirk knew that he was in deeper trouble than he first thought. The brunette only shook her head in disbelief, placing her hands on her hips as she did so. Not for the first time, Kirk suddenly found himself feeling intimidated by the woman's presence. The term, 'if looks could kill' suddenly rang true in that moment.

"You two are coming with us, regardless of what happens next," she snapped without missing a beat.

Kirk didn't bother arguing with that notion. He already suspected he was in trouble from the moment the woman showed up. But dragging McCoy into it only added to the anger rising in his chest. Coulson was the reason they were in this mess. And he wasn't about to let that go, one way or another.