The next three weeks went by more or less the same. Steve would wake up, make breakfast, and bring it to bed before pleasuring Brooklyn until she could hardly catch her breath. While she slept some more, he'd go for a run, and come back ready to break her in half, fucking her relentlessly until he was satisfied. Afterwards, he'd carry her to the couch and serve her lunch, sitting in front of her and watching tv, talking and laughing for hours until they'd retreat to bed, making love until the moon was high in the sky and sleep overtook them.

Brooklyn had spent approximately two hours in her SHIELD appointed apartment during their time off together, only long enough to pack up her belongings and shack up with Steve. He was happy with the arrangement, especially because Brooklyn assured him once they got to D.C. they'd have their own room in SHIELD's residential section. Because even though she loved him, Brooklyn did, in fact, need a little space.

The end of May came too quickly for Steve, and his heart clenched when two SHIELD agents arrived at his door to take Brooklyn's things back home. She turned to Steve, reaching up and grabbing his jaw, "It's going to be okay. You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

"I don't want to. You're mine." Steve said as he grabbed her hips and pulled her close to him, grunting when one of the agents cleared his throat. "I could take you in a few days."

"Fury expects me at the Triskellion tomorrow morning." Brooklyn answered with a sigh, "You'll be okay. You can have some time alone with your feelings."

Steve huffed and she laughed, pushing away, and grabbing her bag from his couch as he mumbled, "I don't want to sit alone with my feelings."

"Well, you need to get used to not being around me all the time. You're becoming an addict."

"You're too hard to quit." Steve smiled sadly as Brooklyn motioned for the other agents to head out, giving her a moment alone with the soldier. Steve wrapped his arms around Brooklyn in a tight hug and pressed a soft kiss to her hair, "I love you, darling."

"I love you too, Steve." Brooklyn lifted her chin and connected their lips, lingering for a moment. When she pulled away, Steve saw that she was sad too, "I'll see you soon. Couple of days."

Steve nodded, looking past her at the open door, "Yeah, just a couple of days." He swatted her backside gently and she winked as she started walking away, wearing tight jeans and a button-down blouse in navy blue. Steve dropped his head sadly, lifting only his eyes to see Brooklyn leave, "Fly safe."

She just bopped her head up and down in response as she left their apartment, closing the door lightly behind her.

With Brooklyn gone, Steve moved to his bedroom and slid open his drawer, grabbing the file that Fury had given him after the Battle of New York. He reread it, then opened his laptop to begin researching the names Fury had given him. One name was familiar, and it took Steve a moment to remember why he knew it.

Brock Rumlow.

That was Brooklyn's superior, the man she saved, the man who helped her get her position within SHIELD. Fury wanted Brooklyn's old team leader to answer to Steve.

He researched the five names on the list, finding them elite SHIELD agents, with a long list of kills and successful missions. Steve wasn't sure if he was going to fit in. At least he knew Natasha Romanoff. She seemed nice.

Steve closed his laptop and looked at his unmade bed, wishing Brooklyn was still around to crawl back in with him. Just like the Retreat, Steve wasn't ready to leave, but at least this time, he knew he wouldn't be alone. If Brooklyn was there, and they had Fury's blessing to be together, Steve would do whatever it took to make this work. Even if that meant dealing with people, something he was once good at, but now realized he hated.

SHIELD collected Steve's belongings on June 1st, but he didn't drive himself down to Washington D.C. until Sunday afternoon, not wanting to have enough time to chicken out. Brooklyn was already thrown back into training, because apparently spending hours a day making love with a super soldier wasn't a good enough exercise regimen for SHIELD. She had told Steve she'd see him Monday at the Triskellion, and that she'd come over after to make sure he was settled.

Maria Hill met him outside the brick apartment building in a black pantsuit with her hands on her hips, looking impatient but not angry. "Captain Rogers."

"Agent Hill." Steve greeted, reaching out to shake her hand. He studied the building, finding it adequate, "So this is home."

"It is." She replied, handing him a ring with a set of keys. "Fury had two made. Figured you might want Agent Hayes to have one as well."

"Thank you." Steve said as she handed him a small card with the apartment number on it. "Would you like to come up?"

"I have to get back to SHIELD. If you need anything though, you'll find a variety of resources in your apartment for getting a hold of us. We'll see you tomorrow." Hill left Steve on his own to find his apartment, something he was both thankful and disappointed about. He climbed the stairs slowly, taking in his surroundings. Taking note of every window and every door; the ones with cute little signs and cheeky doormats, and the doors barren and cracked open.

Finally, Steve reached the third floor and made a beeline for the door at the end of the hall with a 4 hanging in the center. He took a deep breath and unlocked the door, pushing it open to see his new home. It was simple, but decorated more than his Manhattan abode. Books lined a bookshelf leading towards his living room, where a record player sat in the corner next to a chair. There was a fireplace against the wall, and Steve could already imagine curling up with Brooklyn, like they had at the Retreat, except this time, they would do more than cuddle.

His kitchen was more modern than his New York home, with appliances slightly newer than the ones at the Retreat. The bedroom was plain, but the bed was large. Upon sitting it on it though, Steve found it altogether too soft. He huffed and ran his fingers through his hair to get it away from his eyes, looking around in frustration until his eyes landed on a note on the bedstand.

Steve picked up the note and grinned at Brooklyn's sloppy handwriting, chest expanding as he took a deep breath, feeling more alive knowing she'd been in his home.

Steve- Hope your trip was good, and that you're settling well. I hope you don't mind, I took a drawer for myself. I'll see you tomorrow after work. Love you—Brooklyn

He stood and walked to the dresser, opening the drawers from the bottom up and finding his clothes neatly folded until he reached the top drawer, opening it to find bras, underwear, and several sets of yoga pants and matching tank tops. Steve smirked and shook his head, running his fingers along Brooklyn's things before closing the drawer to look around some more. He went into the attached bathroom, going through the drawers and seeing SHIELD had taken the liberty of stocking up on toiletries he might need. Steve chewed through his thoughts, not enjoying that SHIELD wasn't leaving these things up to him. He was a person; he didn't need essentials to be purchased for him. He could take care of himself.

Steve flung open the linen closet, finding several towels and washcloths, but on the lowest shelf, he found a large black tote box with a handle. He grabbed it, unsure of what it could be. He flipped open the latch, then slowly opened it, letting out the breath he'd been holding when he realized it was filled with Brooklyn's toiletries. Since she hadn't warned him about her invasion of his home, Steve decided it was only right to see what she'd decided to leave at his place.

Before he could dive too far into his girlfriend's belongings, Steve's phone began to ring in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it quickly, "Hello."

"How do you like the new digs, Cap? We tried to set you up with everything we thought you might need, but if you think of anything else, please let us know." Nick Fury said casually from the other end.

"Thank you, Sir. I seem to have everything I need." Steve droned, moving back into his living room to sit on his couch. "Do you have anything I need to look over before tomorrow?"

"No. We'll get you up to speed when you get here. Get you your new stealth suit and give you a training schedule. Romanoff will be teaching you more advanced combat, and within a few weeks we'll begin working with the rest of the STRIKE team."

"New suit? I just got a new suit from you before the battle against Loki."

"Well, for what you're going to be doing with STRIKE, we're going to need you to be a little more covert." Fury explained quietly, dragging out his words before chuckling, "Plus, Agent Hayes says you hate it."

"I don't hate it, I-" Steve mumbled as he dragged his hand over his face, "I'll wear whatever you tell me to."

"We'll cross that bridge tomorrow. For now, get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Once Fury hung up, Steve reclined against his couch and grabbed the SHIELD handbook that had been left on his coffee table. He had some reading to do before morning.

Steve arrived at the Triskellion a half hour before they were expecting him dressed in black slacks and a button-down shirt. He stood in the lobby of the massive building and looked up through the glass ceiling, waiting to be collected.

He heard agents whispering about him as they passed, talking amongst themselves about Captain America's arrival on the SHIELD base. He heard their excited murmurs about him fighting with the Avengers, and a couple of women giggling about how handsome he was in person. However, when he heard one agent clear her throat and answer with "That's Hayes's man" Steve perked up and looked over to them.

"Brooklyn?" Steve asked hopefully and the two agents stopped and looked to each other as Steve stood and crossed over to them, "Do you know her?"

"We do." The redhead woman said slowly, looking for some sort of signal to tell her what to say. "She lives in the barracks in the adjacent building."

"Is she here now?"

"Most likely. We haven't seen her though. She's been training." The other agent added, looking Steve over curiously as her smile grew, "She's been all doe eyed since coming back. I didn't actually believe she was with you, but, something about the way you say her name makes me think it's true."

"It's true." Steve muttered before clearing his throat and standing straighter, "If you see her, tell her I'll see her tonight."

Steve turned away from the women and noticed Fury approaching him, but he grinned as he heard their surprised gasps behind him. Brooklyn would either be pleased with him, or incredibly pissed for embarrassing her in front of her friends.

"Captain." Fury greeted, reaching out and shaking Steve's hand, "I'm looking forward to working with you. Let me show you your new suit." Fury led Steve towards an elevator, rising only a handful of floors before opening to reveal the armory. "Your new suit is a heavier material, easier to move in, waterproof. It isn't as… tight." Fury chuckled and Steve blushed, knowing that part definitely came from Brooklyn's feedback. Fury leaned forward and a machine scanned his eye before revealing a dark blue suit with a silver star on the chest. "What do you think?"

Steve reached out and touched the suit, finding it similar material to the one he wore in World War II. The colors were muted, but the design was familiar. "I like it."

"Good. Get changed. I'll show you to the gym. Romanoff is waiting there for you to begin training."

"Long time, no see Cap." Natasha called when Steve followed Fury into the training gym. "Welcome to SHIELD."

"I assume you can whip him into shape?" Fury asked and the Black Widow grinned deviously at the question as Steve blushed, bringing out the blue in his eyes that almost matched his suit.

"Of course. Let's get to work." Natasha said as she zipped her suit up farther and led Steve towards a boxing ring.

Steve looked back at Fury, but the Director just nodded and retreated, probably having more important business to attend to than watching the Black Widow kick Captain America's ass.

"So, how have you been since New York?" Steve asked awkwardly as he bent down to duck between the ropes and join Natasha in the ring.

She just shrugged, shifting back and forth from foot to foot as she studied Steve's movements closely, "I didn't get a month-long sabbatical, so things have been business as usual." She hummed a little as her grin widened, "Agent Hayes got lazy during her time with you. Spent her first two days back just doing yoga for hours to try and stretch out her limbs."

"I wouldn't say she was lazy-"

"Let me rephrase, she spent most of her time in bed, and is no longer in fighting shape." Natasha snipped, sizing Steve up, "You, on the other hand, don't need to put much effort in, do you?"

"No." Steve answered bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest, "Shall we begin?"

"We already have." Natasha answered as she circled the ring. Steve matched her movement warily, unsure of what the Black Widow was planning. "You can't let her be a weakness. You have a job to do, and so does she."

Natasha ran towards Steve, and he prepared to block her hit, but instead she grabbed onto his shoulder and swung herself around his neck, moving her legs to force him to the ground before springing to her feet. Steve gasped as he pushed back on his palms to jump to his feet and Natasha laughed, "Hayes taught you that. But she didn't teach you everything. That's what I'm for."

"I fight just fine."

"We can always improve." Natasha argued, lunging at Steve again, then ducking when he tried to block her, nailing him in the back of the neck and rolling away before Steve could catch her, "Focus up. You need to be ready for any enemy. These aren't soldiers, they are spies. They don't punch and they don't shoot. You'll be up against people who are experts in their field, and you'll never see them coming until they come at you. You need to be able to adapt to any fighting style."

Steve grunted and took another step towards Natasha, shifting onto right foot so he'd have more point on the punch, "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." Natasha answered and Steve came at her with his left hand, catching her off guard and causing her block to come late. She backed up when she wasn't able to block in time, sidestepping Steve and thrusting out her foot to kick him, but he grabbed her ankle and whipped her against the ropes. She bounced back to her feet the same way Steve had, circling him with a grin, "You came at me with your nondominant arm. I'm surprised you're able to work against your instincts."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises." Steve muttered as he stood up straight and leaned against the concrete pole holding the ropes, "I pick things up fast."

"Well, that's not what I heard. Hayes wrote in her report you spent six weeks at the Retreat because you weren't picking up her teachings. Unless," Natasha paused, fake gasping, "you had other reasons of wanting to stay?"

Steve huffed and Natasha charged at him, kicking him in the stomach before dropping to sweep his legs. When Steve didn't so much as flinch, she pushed off her hand and hit him in the chest with both feet, causing him to stumble back a step. When she went towards him again, Steve turned quickly, putting himself in the center of the ring. He grabbed the Widow and held both of her hands behind her back, looping his calf around both of her legs to hold her in place. She had nothing more to fight with as he choked her with his massive arm, "You done making fun of me, Romanoff?"

"No," she gagged, "I'm just getting started." She whacked his forearm, telling him she yielded, and Steve released her to the sound of slow applause coming from across the gym.

"Bravo, Cap. Didn't think you had that kind of ruthlessness in you."

Steve turned to the short, dark haired man that approached in full tactical gear. Behind him was another taller man with a disapproving expression, but the man applauding Steve seemed genuinely amused.

"Rogers," Natasha gasped, placing her hand on the pole to lean against, "This is Brock Rumlow."

Steve nodded, remembering the name. They were planning on going over the team after lunch, "Nice to meet you." Steve said as he shook Rumlow's hand.

"Pleasure's mine, Cap. We kinda met, after the Battle of New York. I picked up the scepter, but you were a little… busy." Rumlow said as he studied Steve the same way Natasha had. He was looking for weakness. "You're impressive. I wasn't so sure about Fury's kill squad being led by Captain America, but now I'm starting to see why he chose you. I look forward to working with you."

"Soon. First, I work with him. Then we go from there." Natasha said. She looked between Steve and Rumlow, then cleared her throat, "If you can excuse us, we have work to do."

"See you both later." Rumlow said, looking over his shoulder at them as he led the other man out of the gym.

"He seems nice." Steve said sarcastically, breathing heavily, "Not sure how I feel about leading."

"Just to be clear, Rumlow is leading STRIKE. You and I are supplementing it. If we can, we lead. If we aren't there, he's second in command, after you. We are first and foremost Avengers. Don't forget that."

Steve nodded, grabbing a water bottle from the sidelines, and downing it before turning back to Natasha, "I'm fine with that. I'd like to hope that Avenger gigs are few and far in between."

"Which is why you're here at SHIELD. So, you can do your part when the world isn't being attacked by aliens." Natasha replied with a grin, "Alright, eyes up, we have a lot of work to do before we break for lunch."

By the time they let Steve leave, the sun was already getting low in the sky over D.C. Steve just wanted to go home and be alone. He hadn't been around so many people since 1945.

He dialed Brooklyn's number as he folded up his stealth suit and shoved it into the locker in the armory that Fury had given him. It only took two rings for her to answer, and Steve sighed in relief. "Hey, Sweetheart."

"How was your first day?" Brooklyn cooed from the other end, and Steve could hear people chattering behind her. He furrowed his brows, wondering where the hell she was. Maybe she wasn't coming over anymore.

"It was fine." Steve said honestly, not really having any negative feelings about SHIELD, but not terribly excited about anything either. "I trained with Natasha. Went over some team things with Fury. Met Brock Rumlow."

"Oh yeah?" She asked, and Steve noticed how her voice seemed more strained than before, "What did you think?"

"He's kind of an ass."

Brooklyn's laughter lit up the empty room for Steve and he quickly closed his locker and made a beeline for the door, "Yeah, that sounds about right. Don't let him treat you like you're less than him. I'll kick his ass."

It was Steve's turn to chuckle at the image of little Brooklyn kicking his teammate's ass for being mean to him, "Pretty sure I'm supposed to kick people's asses for you, not the other way around."

"That's an old-fashioned notion." Brooklyn argued as Steve got into the elevator, thankful the reception was still good since she continued on, "I can take care of myself and you. Especially against my coworkers. You're too nice, Steve. Don't let them take that away from you."

Steve sighed as the doors opened and he reached the lobby, heading towards the parking garage to collect his motorcycle, "I'm not sure if a nice guy can survive in a world like this."

"It's why I tried to keep you out of it."

"Well, I'm here now, and I'm not giving up." Steve assured his girl, slowing down as the laughter faded abruptly, "Where are you?"

"Look to your left."

Steve turned and saw Brooklyn walking towards him from another door, her phone still clutched to her cheek. When he saw her though, he quickly shoved his phone in his pocket and took off running to her, reaching her a moment after she shoved her phone in her bag. He lifted her up to have easier access to her lips, kissing her deeply for a moment as she ran her fingers through his hair.

A loud car horn broke them away and Brooklyn laughed airily, as if he'd stolen all the breath from her lungs, "Hi."

"I've missed you so much." Steve told her, reaching up to kiss her lips again before sliding her out of his arms and onto the concrete. He looked over her shoulder at the door she'd come from, seeing several more agents emerge, "Is that where you live?"

"Yeah. Well, it's where I sleep." She shrugged, scratching her shoulder casually. Steve scanned her body, as if terrified that she'd somehow changed in the week since he last saw her. She noticed his eyes wandering from her tight jeans to her blouse and cleared her throat, "Can I help you, Soldier?"

"I just want you." Steve said darkly, letting his hands wander from her waist to her hips, then began to slide around to her ass when she grabbed them.

She took a deep breath, then blinked rapidly for a moment as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say before exhaling loudly, "Lord help both of us should you ever become infected with sex pollen, because you're insatiable."

Steve drew his brows and cocked his head curiously as Brooklyn took a few steps towards the parked vehicles, "Sex pollen?"

"Yeah, it's a thing. There are some real weirdos out there. Anyway, I'm hungry. Dinner? And then we can go back to your place? Only have about twelve hours before we have to be back, so we better a move." Brooklyn suggested as she grabbed one of Steve's massive hands in both of hers, "Unless you can't handle yourself and we need to go back to your place now?"

"No." Steve mumbled as he climbed onto his bike, "We can get dinner first. But then, we're going home."

"Where else would we go?" Brooklyn laughed as Steve handed her his helmet and helped her onto his motorcycle behind him. She gripped him tightly as he sped out of the garage to take his girl to get some dinner.

After dinner, Steve parked his motorcycle outside his apartment and held it steady so Brooklyn could get off first. She shoved her hands into her back pockets and looked up at the old building, letting out a long whistle, "This is nice. Much nicer than my place with Shield."

"You're always welcome here. Fury even made a second key, although, considering all the stuff you left here, I'm assuming you don't need it."

"No, a key would be better. Breaking and entering isn't a great idea as often as I plan on being here." Brooklyn laughed as Steve took her hand and led her up the stairs.

When he reached the third floor, Steve unlocked his door and pushed it open before scooping Brooklyn up bridal style and carrying her through the door as she laughed loudly, "Steve!"

He kicked the door closed behind them and carried her to his bed, dropping her onto her back before climbing over Brooklyn. He silenced her laughter with a kiss, and she returned it gratefully as he shifted onto his elbows so he could cradle her jaw. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Brooklyn answered between kisses, "Can we take it easy tonight? I have to prepare for a mission tomorrow."

Steve suddenly pulled away and stared at Brooklyn blankly, "What kind of mission?"

"The undercover kind of mission."

"Like, are you going to… you know…"

"Fondue?" She suggested teasingly, snorting as Steve's cheeks began to redden. Brooklyn was fond of his old stories from his life before, most of which he remembered with startling clarity. He regretted telling her how terrible he was with women, because she'd often use it against him in times like this.

Steve twisted his lips and she sighed, "I don't know. Maybe. If that's what I have to do. I have to fly to Vancouver. SHIELD needs to move some intel quietly. No fights. No guns. That's why I'm going in."

"I don't like it."

"It's my job." Brooklyn argued and Steve pushed himself off of her to lay beside her. She turned over and walked her fingers along Steve's chest to his shoulder, "It's just a job, Steve. You know that. I come home to you."

"Yeah, but I don't like the idea of you being with somebody else, even if it's fake." Steve snapped and Brooklyn just huffed, covering Steve's face with her palm and shoving it into the pillow until he carefully grabbed her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips instead, "You're mine."

"I am. It isn't like I'm going to have feelings for these people, it's just acting. I go in. I do what I have to do to finish the mission, and I come home. Even the whole Mason thing in Phoenix was made up. I ended up killing him right after I hung up with you." Brooklyn explained quickly, but it didn't ease Steve's nerves. Brooklyn's lips drew into a sharp line and she shuffled closer to Steve to lay her head against his chest, "Honey, I don't know what I can say to make this okay. You knew what this was. I can't do my job if I'm worried about what you think about it. It could put me in danger, I need you to be okay with this. Or else I need to go."

"No." Steve said quickly, turning to meet Brooklyn's gaze worriedly, "I'll be okay. I'm just jealous."

Brooklyn smiled softly, leaning up to kiss Steve's cheek, "Don't be. You've ruined me for all other men."

"Yes!" Steve hissed teasingly and Brooklyn swatted him as she scrambled to climb over her boyfriend.

"You want to ruin me a little more before I have to leave?" Brooklyn whispered as she dipped low to kiss Steve's lips. His eyes focused in on her as his smile reached all the way across his face. He dug his fingers into her hair, running them along her scalp as she hummed her pleasure.

"If I have my way, I'll ruin you enough that you can't leave at all."