Steve breathed deeply, allowing the cool air to fill his lungs as he placed his hands on his hips and looked over his shoulder to see Brooklyn jogging up behind him, "Laser fence?"

"Yeah, we're supposed to stay inside of it." Brooklyn said as she pointed casually to the perimeter. "We have lots of room to roam."

"You said we could go wherever I wanted."

"I said we could do whatever you wanted. I never said we could leave." Brooklyn crossed her arms and stared up at Steve with narrowed eyes, "I thought we could like, play monopoly or something. Sit by the lake, watch a movie."

Steve pushed back his messy hair and looked down at his boots as he kicked at a rock, pretending to be sad in an effort to sway his handler's mind. He'd learned over the past five days that the woman hated to see him upset. As he worked diligently to master everything she taught him, he'd suffered less flashbacks and had less breakdowns. He'd felt calmer and more like himself because Brooklyn was there. "You'll be with me the whole time, won't you?"

Brooklyn groaned as she rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I'm not worried about you running away or anything, I just don't want to get in trouble."

"How will they know we left? Are they watching us?"

The woman shifted uncomfortably for a moment in her cotton shorts, looking down at her black sneakers as she whispered, "They have eyes everywhere, even here. In case of emergency, so they know what's happening."

"I figured as much. It is what it is." Steve looked at the walking trail leading past the perimeter. "After being frozen for so long, I just want to go for a walk. A long walk. We do this today, and I'll learn whatever you want for the rest of our time here."

"This all you want?"

"Yes."

Brooklyn sighed and pulled out her phone, typing while occasionally glaring up at Steve. "I can't believe you're making me do this."

"Have you never broken the rules before?" Steve teased as she gestured for him to lead the way across the border into the outside world. She followed and put the fence back up, and he noticed the way her shoulders hunched, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"If you really don't want to go, we can stay."

Brooklyn turned her head enough just for Steve to see her face, "A deal is a deal, and this is all you want to do, so we'll do it. It's not like I don't like getting out of here, it's just…" She scratched the back of her neck, and Steve realized there was a scar there. He drew his brows as she turned to face him fully so he couldn't see the place she scratched, shrugging, "It's not like I can run away. They can find me, no matter where I go. It's a thing they do with undercover agents sometimes. A tracking chip in case something goes wrong and SHIELD needs to find us, you know?"

"But you lose a bit of your freedom that way." Steve murmured, "Listen, if you get in trouble, I take the blame, okay?" Steve dared to reach out and gently grab Brooklyn's wrist, causing her to look down at his hand. "I'd like to see them get through me."

"We're already outside the fence. You don't have to convince me. If I start convulsing, just assume they're electrocuting me."

"Excuse me?" Steve yelped and Brooklyn shifted her hand to hold his, "I'm kidding! Kidding. We're fine, let's go."

Brooklyn passed Steve and led him through the trees, deeper into the forest without letting go of his hand. Steve looked down at their entwined hands, unsure if he wanted this. He liked Brooklyn, but Steve was cautious, because he was her mission. She stayed professional most of the time, but occasionally she'd grab his arm or his leg or smack his back playfully if he was teasing her. This felt different though. He liked the contact, but he wasn't sure what she thought of it, "Is this okay?"

"I don't have to hold your hand to make it through the woods, but I get the feeling you like being touched, so it's okay." Steve quickly pulled his hand from her grasp at that, looking down as he sucked in his breath, inadvertently picking up his pace to put some space between himself and the woman. Brooklyn called after him as she started jogging to catch up, "Hey! Steve, it's okay, it's literally what I'm here for-"

"Is it?" Steve stopped and turned around, feeling his chest burn with frustration. When she reached him, Steve looked up at the sky, feeling a chill as the breeze whistled through the trees. "Are you here to seduce me, Agent Hayes?"

"What? No. No, I'm here to make sure you're okay. I'm here to offer whatever comfort you need-"

"And SHIELD thinks I need some dame to comfort me? They could have dropped me off here alone with a stack of files and taught me what I needed in an office, why did they send you?" Steve snapped, taking a few steps away from her before whipping back around. He was upset that he'd had another outburst after so many days of feeling better, "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to understand, I feel like I'm being manipulated, and I don't like it, because I enjoy spending time with you. I need a friend, and you're what I've got."

Brooklyn grabbed both of Steve's hands and looked up at him as she held him tightly, "Listen, I'm whatever you need me to be. If you want a friend, I can be your friend. If you want a handler, I can keep my distance and let you figure this out on your own. If you need… more," she paused, and Steve clenched his jaw because he didn't want her to tell him that. He didn't want her to offer intimacy as part of her job. She seemed to realize this, which didn't surprise Steve, because Brooklyn could read him well after their brief time together, "I can be whatever you want me to be. SHIELD doesn't have any expectations for you and I, except that you come back ready to begin training."

"I want to be friends. Just friends. Nothing more." Steve told Brooklyn and she nodded, letting go of his hands and smoothing down her shirt. "I've gone through a lot. I'm not ready for anything more." He realized how it sounded, that he was rejecting her, and he quickly added, "Not that you aren't great! I just-"

Brooklyn put her finger to his lips to silence him and grinned up at Steve, "We couldn't be more anyway, so that's good. Rules are rules. No relationships between handlers and assets." She nodded her head toward the path and continued walking. Steve followed behind as she called over her shoulder, "Casual sex is fine, but we aren't allowed to date. And that, Mr. Rule Breaker, is one rule I'll be following."

"Good. Glad we're on the same page." Steve answered and Brooklyn raised her brow as he walked alongside her. "About not going steady."

"That's adorable." Brooklyn cooed and Steve rolled his eyes as they continued walking. She lowered her head and took a deep breath, "Alright, let me be clear, this hike is going to kick my ass, so you're gonna need to go slow."

Steve noticed beads of sweat beginning to form at the base of her neck, and her gait was beginning to falter. He was impressed she'd kept his pace as long as she had- over the past few minutes they'd traveled almost a mile, "We're just getting started. Aren't you glad you didn't wear your uniform?"

"Yeah, I would have just let you go on without me." She teased, rubbing the sweat from her neck, "We've been at the Retreat a week, and you're already getting me to break the rules. I didn't expect that from you, Cap."

"Well, these will be the last two rules we break, I swear." Steve promised and Brooklyn nodded with a look Steve could only describe as relief. "Come on, I downloaded a map on my phone. There's another lake up ahead, we can stop and rest for a while."

Brooklyn stared at him, then snapped her jaw closed before shrugging off her surprise, "Seems like you don't even need me."

"You aren't going anywhere." Steve answered and then realized how demanding he sounded, "Unless you want to leave."

"I knew what you meant."

Steve smiled and led them through the trees onto a cliff overlooking a lake surrounded by evergreen trees. Brooklyn sat down and let her legs dangle over the edge of the rocks as she panted, pulling a water bottle from the backpack Steve sat beside her. He stood behind her with his hand on his waist, taking in the view. "It's nice, right? Worth breaking the rules for?"

Brooklyn shrugged, "Yeah. But we aren't doing this again. At least not for a while. Maybe in a few weeks if you study hard." She looked up and winked at Steve, and he rolled his eyes and looked past her at the water, enjoying what little freedom he had before he had to go back.

After dinner, Steve and Brooklyn settled down in front of the fire as they had every night since they'd arrived. Steve sat on the floor with her laptop on his thighs as he googled the list of items she'd made for him to study while Brooklyn read a raunchy romance novel on the couch behind him. She'd allowed Steve to read a few pages of it while she made dinner, and he turned so red that she laughed water out her nose. Steve made a mental note not to ask to read any more of Brooklyn's personal books.

He enjoyed her company though. She would sit quietly while he'd study and answer all the questions he had. If she didn't know the answer, she'd lean over his shoulder and tell him what to type to find it on the internet. Every night, she'd eventually grow tired and fall asleep while Steve was still working, but he made sure to shut down and plug in her computer before putting out the fire and retiring to the bedroom for sleep.

They had found a good rhythm, and Steve was thankful that their conversation during their hike hadn't ruined what they'd built over the past few days. Brooklyn made a good friend for Steve, but he was only human, and he was living with a pretty woman. Knowing they couldn't be more than friends put him at ease, because he didn't have to worry about the line they walked.

Steve heard Brooklyn groan as she stretched, accidentally bumping his neck, "Sorry."

"It's okay." Steve replied easily, but the contact reminded them of the day he arrived at the Retreat, and how Brooklyn had tried to comfort him on the quinjet after his outburst. "Hey, I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" She asked softly as he turned to look over his shoulder at her. He saw how content her expression looked as she sat her book in her lap, holding her page with her thumb.

Steve scratched the back of his neck as he looked away, "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"No, what is it? You can ask me anything. I might not answer you, but you can ask." She teased as Steve kept his eyes focused on the flames. "Steve?"

Steve took a deep breath before speaking, knowing Brooklyn wouldn't find his request a big deal, but he was still nervous after their conversation earlier. He told her he didn't want any intimacy, but she was right, he liked to be touched by her, "Would you maybe scratch my neck? Like you did on the ride here?"

He turned to see Brooklyn's expression, and as expected, she just smiled softly and shrugged, "I think I can do that."

"It just helps me- relax…" Steve purred as Brooklyn trailed her silver fingernails along the base of his neck to his hairline, then back down to the neckline of his white t-shirt, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I don't mind at all." Brooklyn's voice was soft as Steve settled his lower back against the couch again and picked up the computer to continue his research on the turn of the millennium. He could hear her shifting behind him, but she didn't break from trailing her fingers along his skin, sending shivers through him as he struggled to focus. His eyes began to droop as he felt sleepy, lulled into peace by his companion.

He must have started to doze off, because Steve jolted awake when Brooklyn fluffed his hair roughly, "Hey! If you fall asleep before me, I'm taking the bed and leaving you here on the floor."

Steve smiled and closed her computer, setting it to the side so he could turn around to face her, "You've spent the past week on the couch. Let me take a turn so you can get a good night's sleep. It's the least I can do after dragging you through the woods for ten miles."

"My legs feel like jelly." She admitted as she stretched and sat up, but she quickly shook her head, "No, you take the bed. I'll be fine."

"I insist. You can either go now, or I'll wake up in the night and carry you there myself. Either way, you're waking up in the bed."

"But you haven't washed the sheets. What if it stinks like super soldier?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Seriously, Brooke, go." Steve said, blinking when he realized he'd shortened her name. She tilted her head to the side, but she didn't ask, and he didn't mention it.

Steve grunted as he stood from his place on the floor and held his hands out to help Brooklyn up. She placed her hands in his and allowed him to yank her to her feet, pulling her a little too hard and causing her to crash against his chest. Steve flinched as she braced herself against him and his gasp made him afraid he'd hurt her, "I'm so sorry!"

Brooklyn giggled, shaking her head, "I knew what I was signing up for when I asked to be Captain America's handler. Occasionally breaking things due to super strength comes along with the territory."

"Did I break you?" Steve took a step away towards the fireplace, then quickly turned to extinguish it since they were both going to bed. "I'd never hurt you on purpose-"

"You didn't hurt me. I'm fine. I was just startled." Brooklyn reached out and awkwardly patted Steve arm before pointing her thumb over her shoulder, "You sure you don't want the bed?"

"Naw. For one night it's yours. Plus, then you can actually sleep in something more comfortable." Steve gestured to the SHIELD uniform she'd changed into as soon as they got back to the cabin.

Brooklyn placed her hands on her hips defensively, "This is comfortable! It's more comfortable than those running shorts I had on earlier!"

"I'm sure you have something more comfortable than that to wear to bed. I swear, I won't bother you. You can lock the door to keep me out."

She smiled and shrugged as she grabbed her suitcase and began hauling it to the bedroom, "Honestly, I feel better knowing you could come in if you needed to."

Steve forced a soft smile, but his heart hurt. He wished he could give his handler half of the comfort and peace that she brought to him. He wished she could feel safe knowing he was there, and he wouldn't let anything happen to his best- only friend. "Night Brooklyn. I'll see you in the morning."

She gave him a halfhearted salute and closed the bedroom door, leaving Steve by the glowing embers of the fire as they fizzled out. Perhaps, if time and fate had not been so cruel, Steve would have loved Brooklyn, and they could be together. But things being what they were, Steve knew he had no business even considering such feelings. He had never fawned over women when he was younger, mostly because none would give him the time of day. The allure of the ladies who threw themselves at him because he was the film and stage star Captain America didn't intrigue him nearly as much as serving his country.

Now that Steve didn't have a war to fight, the idea of settling down was… an idea. Steve imagined kissing Brooklyn for a brief moment, but as quickly as the dream appeared in his mind, it turned into Peggy Carter. Steve could still feel Peggy's lips on his, and his eyes began to water as he remembered dreaming about being with her. Suddenly, the plain best friend didn't seem like such a great option anymore compared to the woman Steve could have had.