Author's Notes: Here is the third of the three chapters posted to ring in 2021! It's short, but important. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!
Brooklyn wasn't sure how long it had been since she'd slept that well. It was a combination of the cold, the fire, and Steve's protective embrace that sent her into the deepest sleep she'd had in years. It wasn't until she felt Steve's massive hand running up and down her back that she began to stir, and his voice softly calling her back to consciousness.
She hummed, not wanting to leave the comfort of Steve's presence, even when he sat up and took his warmth with him. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips as Steve groaned loudly while he stretched, and Brooklyn had to hold back the urge to reach out and rub her hand along his long torso beside her.
Suddenly, someone was pounding on the door and Brooklyn jumped, realizing what Steve had said. They were here. Any chance of them curling back up was dead as the fire, so Brooklyn shooed Steve towards the door as she yawned, beginning to run her fingers through her messy hair. She watched Steve open the door and was surprised to find Director Fury had arrived to collect them himself with Agent Hill.
"Captain. We've been trying to contact you."
Brooklyn tensed, knowing that was her fault. She'd put their phones on airplane mode on purpose so they couldn't get a hold of the pair. She told her boss this, but when she informed Fury that they'd just woken up, his brow raised curiously, and she slammed her mouth shut.
"You slept together?"
Steve took the question as an accusation, but Brooklyn could hear the surprise in Fury's voice. He'd encouraged her, as Pierce had, to do whatever she thought was necessary to help Steve Rogers acclimate to the 21st Century, including, but not limited to, sleeping with him. The surprise was because Brooklyn had warned Fury that Steve was becoming too attached to her. The director clearly found it an interesting move on her part to have sex with him after her findings.
"Beside each other." Steve clarified coldly, defending Brooklyn's honor and work ethic with ease. She smiled weakly at him, feeling her heart swell with pride at how worried he was that her boss might think she did something wrong.
Agent Hill knew Brooklyn's reputation though, and she smirked knowingly at the other agent. Brooklyn could practically hear her thoughts, reciting Brooklyn's mantra mockingly- There is no loyalty stronger than that amongst lovers.
It appeared as a brilliant plan on Brooklyn's part, and she half expected Fury to ask if she thought it would change anything. Brooklyn didn't know what she wanted to get out of their night together, she just knew she wanted to sleep beside Steve.
"Let's get you two back to New York." Maria said quickly, looking between Steve and Brooklyn curiously. Brooklyn nodded firmly, taking a step away from Steve to distance herself. From the corner of her eye, she saw Steve twitch, and she knew he wanted to get close to her. She wanted the same.
"I'll get the bags." Brooklyn said to Fury and Hill sweetly, but regretted her tone as it came off fake, "Let's blow this popsicle stand." She added awkwardly, then looked to Steve with a desperate expression and nodded towards the bedroom. She wanted to speak to him in private before they left and make sure they were both on the same page.
Steve started walking towards the bedroom, but Fury reached out and grabbed Brooklyn's wrist, tugging her back to speak with him. She coward in his sights, lowering her head, "I tried, Sir."
"To sleep with him?"
"Yes. He didn't take the bait. He's too old fashioned." She smirked, but Fury's expression warned her that he didn't find it funny. "Sir, I stand by my findings. If you weren't here to physically remove him, he'd stay at the Retreat forever. He isn't ready to be an agent. I'm not even sure he's ready to be a soldier again, he's lonely and sad."
"I want him for the response team."
"I cannot speak to his qualifications for your project, Director, but he isn't cut out to work for SHIELD." Brooklyn answered quietly.
"Your work with Captain Rogers is done. Stay here, we'll take him back to get him settled. Jasmine will return for you within the hour."
"But-"
"No buts. You've done good work, Agent Hayes. Get your final report to me by five. We'll brief him on your findings at seven."
Brooklyn's lip wobbled and she noticed Fury glance up to look behind her. She stiffened, realizing Steve was back. She whipped around, seeing how confused and anxious Steve looked, and knowing how heartbroken he would be that she was pushing him away. Unable to deal with the fallout, she stormed into the bathroom and locked the door.
She squatted down so she was closer to the floor, knowing her legs would give out from beneath her. She fell onto her ass and grabbed her mouth, holding back the sobs as tears streamed openly. It wasn't rare for her to sob in the bathroom when the man she was seducing was sleeping or leaving for the day. It was Brooklyn's release from the pressure of the mission. Whenever she was relieved of duty, she'd wail openly for a full day, letting out all the stress and frustration until she was ready to start again.
She heard Steve's strained voice through the door, "Can I at least say goodbye?" Brooklyn quivered, wanting to tell Steve how much she appreciated him and how highly she thought of him. She wanted to hug him one last time, because she knew after the debriefing, he wouldn't want to speak to her, let alone touch her.
The front door closed, and Brooklyn knew Steve was gone. She draped her arms over her knees and lowered her head to cry, purging her soul of the guilt and the pain she felt until she heard someone knocking on the bathroom door.
"Agent Hayes?" Jasmine's voice called through the wood and Brooklyn wiped her nose on her sweater sleeve and stood to open the door, forcing a weak smile. Jasmine saw right through her and sighed, "Brooklyn."
"You know this is part of my process." She defended, sniffling and shaking out her hands, "I gotta purge the past six weeks."
"You really liked him."
"He's a great guy. What's not to like?" Brooklyn chuckled, turning to the counter to finish packing up her toiletries.
She could feel Jasmine's gaze as she zipped up her bag, but she didn't speak until Brooklyn looked up at her, "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Brooklyn asked with a smile, grabbing her bag, and heading to the bedroom to collect her suitcase.
By seven o'clock, Brooklyn was seated outside of Director Fury's office, waiting to be called in to deliver her findings to Steve. He'd been so happy to hear from her earlier, and his face showed so much relief when she'd facetimed him. Brooklyn could tell Steve missed her, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but she had to be professional. He was about to be released from SHIELD, and she was his handler before his friend.
A buzzing alerted Brooklyn that her presence was requested, and she stood with a loud sigh. She smoothed back her hair and opened the door, stiffening when Steve's eyes landed on her. She cleared her mind and focused on the task at hand, "Captain Rogers."
Steve looked like she had punched him in the face, and she began to sweat nervously as she took a seat next to him. She raised her chin, trying to seem strong and indignant, but Brooklyn was crumbling. She couldn't focus on what Fury was saying, because she could feel Steve's gaze piercing her like a knife. Anger, confusion, sadness, betrayal. His emotions were practically radiating off his body, and Brooklyn wanted to apologize for her part in it.
She wanted to explain that she was trying to save his life, but she couldn't. This was for the best. He'd be angry and he'd stay away from her and from SHIELD and he'd stay out of trouble, and maybe Brooklyn could use her pull with Hydra to let him live.
"So that's it? It's over?" Steve snapped bitterly, and Brooklyn couldn't help but flinch at how defeated he sounded.
"Not necessarily."
Brooklyn pursed her lips at Fury's words, knowing he would ask Steve to head up the Avengers Initiative. If Steve agreed to his terms, all of Brooklyn's work keeping him out of trouble would be for nothing, and he'd rise to the challenge just in time to meet his end at the hand of Hydra.
"I'm in."
Brooklyn looked down at her folded hands, feeling her stomach drop. If Fury's 'otherworldly threats' didn't kill Captain America, Hydra would.
She was suddenly aware that Steve was storming out of the office, leaving her behind. Brooklyn leapt to her feet, and Fury called after her as she started running after Steve, "Agent Hayes, it was you who suggested this."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it." She snapped over her shoulder as she pushed through the door, seeing Steve about to enter the elevator. "Steve!"
"No." Steve barked as the doors began to slide open, trying to escape her.
Brooklyn wasn't about to let him go that easily, and slid between the doors before they could close, "Talk to me! Let me explain!" Once situated inside, Steve pretended to ignore her, but she hit the emergency stop, causing them to freeze in place. She stood between Steve and the controls, forcing him to face her.
He glared down at her with clenched fists, and she stared at them for a moment, wondering if he was angry enough to actually strike her. He shifted his jaw back and forth before muttering, "I don't want to do this."
"See. This is why I told Fury you weren't ready." Brooklyn growled as she took a step closer to Steve, tilting her head up to get a better look at him, "You shut down whenever things don't go your way."
Steve closed the gap between them, and Brooklyn instinctively backed up. Her eyes widened in fear, and she clenched her jaw, trying to appear brave, but she was scared, and Steve could see right through her, because they were close. He slumped a little and backed up, gesturing for her to speak as he leaned against the side of the elevator.
Brooklyn breathed heavily for a moment, torn between telling him her logic and telling him the truth about SHIELD and Hydra and making a run for it. "You are a soldier, not a spy." She told him truthfully, "You're good and you're honest, and as much progress as you've made, you aren't ready to join SHIELD, Steve. I'm trying to protect you." Her voice cracked and she lowered her head, knowing he'd never understand how desperately she was trying to protect him. "You need more time. You didn't even want to leave the Retreat, which is a prison for enhanced individuals. You were happy to set up permanent residence there."
"It wasn't a prison." Steve grumbled, but Brooklyn sighed, seeing his denial.
"It was to keep you locked up until I had a chance to gauge your mental state. I had chloroform in my suitcase in case I had to knock you out. Obviously, that wasn't necessary." Brooklyn assured him quickly, seeing Steve flinch at the idea of her having to subdue him because he was dangerous. "I would have signed you off as good to go after the first week, but you didn't want to leave."
"It was relaxing." Steve crossed his arms, looking around the elevator for something to focus on other than Brooklyn. She shifted her weight, wanting to reach out and comfort him, but he looked back to her darkly, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Brooklyn groaned and shrugged, "That's not something you just drop on someone. It wasn't part of my job."
"Was that all I was? A job? I thought we were friends."
Brooklyn's knees shook at his insinuation as he dropped his head, and she shifted forward so she could put herself in Steve's sights, "We are friends." She whispered, feeling her jaw tremble, "It wasn't a lie. I just had more to do than you realized. I care about you. That was real. I just don't think this is a good fit for you. You don't show the personality traits suited for a SHIELD agent."
I can't let you unwittingly join Hydra. You'd never forgive me.
"I don't regret what I told Fury. I'm doing this to protect you."
Because I love you, too.
"Well." Steve muttered as he leaned past Brooklyn to hit the emergency button, "I'm glad you don't regret your decision."
Brooklyn kept her eyes trained on Steve as he waited for the doors to open, wanting to make peace before they went their separate ways. "So…" She felt her heart beating louder as she watched the vein in Steve's neck twitch, a clear sign of his impatience with the descending elevator grew. "Are we good?"
Finally, a ding told Brooklyn their time together was over, and Steve visibly relaxed at the prospect of getting away, "Yeah, why wouldn't we be?" He pushed past Brooklyn, bumping into her, and causing her to fall against the side of the elevator. She stood there in a daze and watched him walk away until the doors started closing again to take her somewhere else inside SHIELD headquarters.
Two hours later, Brooklyn sat on a barstool next to Jasmine at a loud karaoke lounge in Chinatown. She tipped back the shot she'd been handed, thanking the bartender, and ordering another one.
"He really fucked you up, didn't he?" Jasmine hummed sadly, "Did he at least fuck you good before he destroyed you?"
"No." Brooklyn grumbled, looking past the bartender at all the bottles lining the shelves, "He did not."
"But you kissed him at least, right?"
"Nope. Not even a peck." Brooklyn grabbed the highball she'd been sipping and drained the glass, setting it down roughly and facing her friend, "I wanted to. You should have seen him; he was so handsome."
"I did see him. I thought he was going to kill you." Jasmine mumbled, swishing her martini as she watched Brooklyn curiously, "Honestly, I think it's a good thing he isn't joining SHIELD. He's trouble. Just because he's big, strong, and handsome doesn't mean he'd make a good agent."
"He isn't an agent, he's a soldier." Brooklyn took the shot that appeared in front of her and tossed it back, "As long as Fury doesn't actually create the Avengers, Steve is out of our hair."
"He won't." Jasmine assured the woman as she ordered a third shot and another highball, "It's nothing but a pipe dream. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. Right now, worry about you." Jasmine paused and looked past Brooklyn, causing her to turn around and see the man she was looking at, "Maybe worry about you with someone else."
"I don't know…" Brooklyn trailed off as the bartender set down her drink. She picked it up and sipped it, looking to the left and seeing the man Jasmine had locked eyes with looking her up and down. "I shouldn't."
"You should. I'll let you have him. You've earned it. After six weeks of getting yourself off, let somebody else do it for you." Jasmine hissed as the man stood and approached, and Brooklyn tossed back her shot before grabbing her drink again.
"Hey." The man told Brooklyn and she smiled up at him sloppily.
"Hey." She replied softly, lifting her highball to her lips to sip it slowly, "I'm Brooklyn."