Brooklyn was glowing as her heels clipped along the tile of the Triskellion on her first day back in D. C. She felt like she was floating, perhaps still high from the euphoria of Captain America's affection, but more likely from all the pain killers she'd taken before leaving her room in the residential level.
Director Fury had requested her presence at eight, which was easier than Brooklyn had expected it to be. Her body clock was still on Steve Rogers time, and he woke up with the sun, usually waking her up with his tongue and fingers somewhere they didn't belong. She didn't appreciate waking up alone, without Steve's wandering hands and toasty-warm body pressed against her. At least she wouldn't have to wait long for him to be with her in Washington.
"Agent Hayes." Fury greeted with a weakly veiled smirk, "How was your trip?"
"It was great! Glad to be back!" Brooklyn chirped and Fury laughed at her. She was about to ask why, but she realized it was her over-the-top perky attitude. "Sorry, woke up with a backache."
Fury nodded, "Mmhhm. Well, it's good to have you back. Take some time to get back into fighting shape, and you'll be back to work before you know it. I'm assuming I'll see Rogers later in the week?"
"Yes, Sir. He's chomping at the bit to get here." Brooklyn said with a small smile. Steve couldn't wait to get back to his girl, and the feeling was mutual. She missed him.
"Well, perhaps you better train before he gets here then. I'm sure he'll keep you busy in your down time." Fury said before gesturing towards the door, "Good to have you back, Hayes."
"Thank you, Sir." She answered before leaving, sliding into the elevator and requesting to go down to the training level. When she arrived, the doors opened and Brock Rumlow sidled up next to her, ordering the elevator to take him to Secretary Pierce. Brooklyn raised her brow when he forced the door closed, not letting her leave, "Rumlow?"
"Pierce wants to see you."
"Okay…" Brooklyn trailed off, clamping her hands in front of herself as the elevator rose, "About what?"
"Don't know. He told me to bring you up as soon as you were back."
Brooklyn spared a glance at Rumlow, noting that he looked more agitated than usual, "It's good to see you."
"Yeah. Great to see you too. Wish you would have taken care of the Captain when you had the chance. Now I have to work with him."
"He's a nice guy."
"Do you really think I care?"
"No." Brooklyn answered quickly as the doors opened, revealing the hallway leading to the Secretary's office. She stepped out and took the lead, choosing not to speak with Rumlow again unless she had to.
She knocked on the open door and peeked her head in, "You wanted to see me, Mr. Secretary?"
"Brooklyn! So good to see you!" Pierce said as he stood from his desk and crossed the sprawling office to embrace the agent in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"That makes two of us." Brooklyn murmured, keeping her expression neutral, "What can I do for you?"
He looked up at Rumlow and ordered, "Close the door." Rumlow did as he was asked, locking it before Pierce gestured for Brooklyn to sit on the couches. It felt like getting assigned to Steve all over again. Perhaps she was going to get an earful for not doing her job correctly. "Agent Hayes, it has come to my attention that you have started a relationship with Captain America."
Brock shot her a disgusted glare, and she hunched her shoulders, "Yes, Sir. This is true."
Pierce nodded as he sat down, pouring a glass of water, and pushing it towards the woman, "Is this for work related reasons or personal ones?"
"Personal, Sir." Brooklyn answered, tilting her head a little as she looked at the glass, "I'm afraid I've been compromised. He's hard not to like."
"I'll see how I feel about him."
She shot Rumlow a dirty stare as Pierce chuckled, leaning forward to address the woman, "Alright. That's fine. I just want to make sure we're still on the same page." He paused to give Brooklyn a chance to speak, but she decided not to take it. He smiled evenly, but Brooklyn knew there was malice behind it, "You're aware we'll have to eliminate him with Project Insight?"
"Yes, Sir. My hope is to keep him out of trouble until then."
"Ahh," Pierce said as he leaned back, sharing a knowing glance with Rumlow, "So it is a bit of work after all."
Brooklyn winced at his words. She didn't want to play Steve, but she knew how his story ended. She just wanted to be a part of it as long as she could. It made him happy, it made her happy, and, if she could keep him from finding out that Hydra was growing within SHIELD, it would keep Pierce incredibly happy, too.
Pierce nodded for a moment, then stood and walked over to his desk, "Fury believes Captain Rogers will be a great asset to SHIELD, do you agree?"
"Yes, I think he'll do very well. But he won't be an agent. He's too… stuck in his ways. He's expecting to lead STRIKE."
"SHIELD and Hydra have similar motives at the moment, without SHIELD, Hydra cannot grow, so we need SHIELD to succeed until we are ready to launch."
"Sir?" Brooklyn prodded quietly, trying to understand where this was going, "You believe Steve will help our cause?"
"Inadvertently, yes." Pierce said, looking from Brooklyn to Rumlow, "He'll train with you and Romanoff. Between the two of you, we'll keep him close. Mold him, use him. He can be the greatest Hydra agent of all time; he doesn't need to know it." Pierce smiled wickedly at Brooklyn, "You'll do what you do best, keep him wrapped around your finger."
"And if I fail?" Brooklyn asked breathlessly, feeling sick to her stomach.
"You mean if you break up, or if he finds out what you are?" Rumlow asked and Brooklyn bit the side of her cheek.
"If you break up, then Rumlow and STRIKE will keep tabs on him. If he finds out about us, then we kill him." Pierce answered simply, and Brooklyn knew the color from her cheeks drained by the look of pity he gave her. "It's good incentive to do well, isn't it?"
Brooklyn didn't respond. She didn't so much as nod. She just ran through scenarios in her head. If Steve realized she was Hydra, he'd kill her. Then they'd both end up dead.
Pierce appeared to notice her apprehension, so he smiled sweetly, "Agent Hayes, I'll make it worth your while. If you pull this off- if you keep him on the line until Insight launches, I'll make you Director of Hydra."
Brooklyn's stomach dropped and she stared at Pierce in disbelief, looking over at Rumlow to see him simmering, red overtaking the skin beneath his dark beard. She looked back to Pierce and choked out, "Me?"
"Yes." Pierce said as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "I've done a lot of thinking, and I think you'd be a great head of Hydra. You're analytical, you're always five steps ahead, it's why you're so good at what you do. You're able to juggle several missions at a time, I saw that at the Retreat. The fact that you can sit here and tell me you love Captain America but you won't stop us from killing him tells me you have just the right disposition for this type of work. You never cease to amaze me, and I think people would look up to you and fear you. If you can pull this off, the job is yours."
"And if I can't?" Brooklyn asked, grabbing her throat before taking a long swig of water. She felt like she was parched, and nothing could make her breath easily after what she'd been told.
Pierce shrugged, "If you don't want the job, that's fine. I have a line of succession planned," He said, looking to Rumlow, "however, if you fail; if Captain Rogers finds out what we're up to, you know we can't let him live. If you become a problem, we can't let you either."
She nodded, looking down at her clasped hands, "And, I'm assuming that warning goes to my sister, as well?"
"No. Of course not. Well," Pierce put his hands up in defense, "Only if the Insight algorithm finds her a threat. She's studying to be a doctor, is she not? As Director, you could make the call to save her should Zola put a target on her back. You could save anyone you want, as long as you do your job."
I could save Steve if I could sway him to Hydra.
"The only question now, is whether or not you want to try." Pierce said, gesturing towards Brooklyn, "So, what'll it be?"
She paused, considering her options. She didn't have much hope in saving Steve, but she could save her own hide, and her sister. She could make the call as to who lives and who dies. She could avenge her parents by having the person who caused their accident killed, no matter how powerful he was. She would be the most powerful woman in the room.
"I'll do it, on one condition."
"Which is?" Pierce prodded as she grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
"When I become Director, I get to kill Nick Fury."
For three months, Steve and Brooklyn were inseparable. When they were both in D.C., they would be found with each other. He greeted her after every mission, doing everything in his power to make her feel safe and loved after being used by SHIELD. When his birthday rolled around, she planned a whole weekend to celebrate. She reveled in pretending to be Steve's wife for the day. Her heart ached knowing it could never be real.
September brought work for both of them, and Brooklyn was having a difficult time seeing Steve get sent on his first missions with the STRIKE team. She wished she could be his handler, the voice in his ear, his eyes in the sky, but he didn't need that. He didn't need Brooklyn to protect him, even though she lived in a constant state of worry.
Going to Caracas wouldn't be dangerous, but Rumlow's sour mood caused Brooklyn alarm. Although Pierce had given Brooklyn permission to keep Steve alive as long as she could keep him controlled, Rumlow had grown to resent Captain America, and his girlfriend.
"Well, isn't that cute?" Rumlow taunted as Steve and Brooklyn approached the armory hand in hand. She glared at him as he raised his brows and added, "Should we leave the room?"
"Ha ha. Very funny." Brooklyn snapped as she tightened her grip on Steve's arm, smirking darkly, "We took care of all our last-minute business at home."
She saw Jack roll his eyes and turn away, and Brooklyn tensed, hoping Steve wouldn't notice and ask about her history with the STRIKE agent. She didn't want to relive it.
"I've got to get ready. I'll see you when you get back." Steve said and Brooklyn looked up, seeing his brows drawn and his eyes asking if she was okay. She smiled and nodded, pushing away her memories of being drugged by Steve's teammate.
"I'll miss you. Don't have too much fun in Caracas." Brooklyn hummed as she kissed Steve, looking at Brock and Jack from the corner of her eye. When she pulled away, she cupped Steve's jaw and whispered, "Be careful."
"You too. You call me if you need anything, okay?"
She smiled, then forced it down and raised her finger to warn Steve, "I will. Don't call me though. This information I'm extracting is top priority. I can't risk having my cover blown."
He grumbled about it, but Brooklyn hoped he wouldn't call. SHIELD thought she was extracting information on a potential security threat. In reality, she was being sent in to gain a powerful asset for Hydra. If Steve blew her cover, they would kill her.
"I love you." She finally breathed out and he parroted her words before pressing one last quick kiss to her lips.
Brooklyn left Steve, giving him a chance to get ready while she packed her suitcase for her mission in Miami. She had to walk a tightrope of earning the man's trust, then admitting she was an agent and double crossing her agency and get out with her life. It was one of the most dangerous things Pierce had asked of her, because the man's death count was in the triple digits, but nobody could convict him. This was her moment to prove herself. Brooklyn would leave the mission either a shoo-in for the Director position, or she'd be Rumlow's puppet when Hydra took over.
Brooklyn put her long mahogany hair up in curlers while she painted her lips a cherry red that would have made Steve swoon. By the time the jet landed in Miami, her eyes were popping behind smoky eyeshadow and her tight curls were brushed out into cascading waves that landed around her shoulders. She wore a long, black dress with a slit on her left leg and a pair of bedazzled heels that lifted her to Dallas's height.
One of SHIELD's contacts picked her up from the airstrip in a limousine and she realized just how over her head she was in, but at least she looked the part. Brooklyn was dropped off at the hotel, where another agent bumped into her and whispered, "Bar. Green shirt. Beer."
"So sorry about that!" Brooklyn said loudly, "Have a nice night."
The trap was set, all Brooklyn had to do was catch her fish. She sidled up to the man in the green shirt drinking a beer from the bottle, raising her hand to get the bartender's attention, "Classic martini, please."
The man tilted his head to look at Brooklyn, smiling to himself as he sized her up shamelessly, "You here alone, gorgeous?"
Brooklyn snapped her head up, gazing at the tall Italian man in fake surprise, "Oh! Yes, I am. I, uh, was supposed to meet someone here… I've been waiting in the lobby." She batted her fake eyelashes and tilted her chin down to gaze sadly at the floor, "I'm starting to think he won't show."
"Well, you're too beautiful to drink alone." He gestured to the bartender when he sat down her martini, "Put the lady's drink on my tab. Get another one ready please."
"Oh, no, I can't let you do that, I feel bad…" Brooklyn stammered, but he put his hand on her leg when she shifted, and the dress broke away. She smiled sweetly, pushing a curl behind her ear, "Thank you. That's very sweet."
"You got a name? Or should I just call you beautiful all night?"
"Tasha."
"Tasha. Nice to meet you." He told her as he raised her knuckles to his lips and kissed her hand.
She raised her glass to her lips, taking a slow sip and nodding to the bartender, a silent thanks to the agent for filling her glass with water. Tonight wasn't a night to get drunk. "Nice to meet you too, Handsome."
It only took two hours for the hit man to take Brooklyn back to his hotel room. She'd pulled along her little suitcase as he kissed her neck in the elevator, and made quick work to remove her dress so she stood before him in her matching lace bra and panties. His hands were on her hips, about to pull down the thin fabric, when her phone began to buzz in her bag.
She tossed her head back, glaring at the clutch bitterly as her hair flung over her shoulders. "You should answer that." He mumbled against her shoulder blade as his fingers ran over her stomach, "You'll be worth the wait."
Brooklyn pulled her phone out and saw it was Natasha Romanoff who was calling her and sighed, "It's my best friend. She's going through a breakup- I'm really sorry. Can I take this in the bathroom real quick? I promise, it'll only be a minute?"
"Of course, Baby. Take your time." He winked and Brooklyn cradled the phone to her cheek as she scurried to the bathroom.
As soon as the door was locked, she answered the phone and snapped, "What do you want? I'm in deep."
"Steve's been hit with sex pollen."
Brooklyn blinked as her mind rewound Natasha's words, "What?"
"Don't ask me how, but he was struck with sex pollen in Caracas. Needle to the back of the neck, it's really bad."
"Well, can't you deal with it?" Brooklyn growled, needing her needy boyfriend to stop being so virtuous and bang Romanoff so she could finish her mission. "Where is he now?"
"He knocked himself out. He won't…" Natasha sucked in a sharp breath and Brooklyn rubbed her hand over her face, "It has to be you, Hayes. I don't know what'll happen if-"
"Tell me about the drug." Brooklyn ordered, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She had to seduce the man outside the bathroom, but she had to understand how Steve was infected with sex pollen in Caracas. It wasn't like that stuff was common.
"He was fine. Just a prick. We thought it may have been shrapnel, but later it got worse, as if it didn't take effect right away. It was unbearable for him."
Brooklyn smacked her palm against the sink, swearing under her breath so Romanoff wouldn't hear. Hydra had developed a needle that could administer the drug several times, so the poison could be inserted, but not released into the bloodstream until they were ready.
Rumlow did this.
"Bring him here. I'll send you my coordinates."
"We'll extract you."
Brooklyn sighed, knowing that wouldn't be good enough. She didn't get the information, and she didn't get him on her side. She could save the mission, or she could help Steve. "No. I'll take care of it. Just get him here."
She hung up and dropped her phone on the counter, taking a deep breath through her nose and letting it out her slightly parted lips, "I'm going to regret this."
Pushing open the bathroom door, Brooklyn leaned against the frame and sighed, "Sorry about that. It's been a hell of a week."
"That's fine. I ordered some late-night dessert while you were on the phone. Hope you like chocolate cake."
"I do." She purred, sitting on his lap as she slung her arm around his neck, leaning down to kiss him softly, "Maybe we could hold out until dessert. I'll eat the cake, and you can eat me?"
"I like the way you think, gorgeous." He answered as he nipped at her lower lip, "As much as I like your look, I'd love to see you bare. Want to get cleaned up while we wait?"
"Sounds perfect." Brooklyn told him, grabbing her bag and wheeling it into the bathroom to remove her makeup.
Once alone she swallowed hard as she washed off her makeup. She heard the knock, and he answered, accepting the food while she used a washcloth to wipe away the dark eye makeup. She roughly dragged the cloth over her mouth, pulling the blood red lipstick with it before taking another deep breath.
"Is the cake here?" Brooklyn giggled as she stumbled out of the bathroom, scratching her scalp as she wobbled a little. She saw the massive slice of dark chocolate cake and the silverware wrapped in a black cloth, "I want the first piece."
He grabbed the fork and pierced through the cake, blissfully unaware that Brooklyn had grabbed the butter knife and pulled it into her lap between her thighs. He fed her the piece and she hummed, and he pulled her face closer to his, kissing her sweetly as his hand trailed from her neck to her chest, but before he could get any farther, Brooklyn sliced his throat with the butter knife.
The man gagged, staring at her in disbelief as she pushed him down and grabbed him, choking him on the weak cut as he tried to fight her off. She grabbed the knife again and stabbed it straight through his trachea, causing the man to die beneath her.
Brooklyn gasped for breath, stumbling back and looking at her bloody hands. Without washing them, she rolled him up in the sheets and pushed him off the edge of the bed, hiding the body between the wall and the bed. She tossed the comforter over him, making it appear messy enough that hopefully she'd be gone long before anyone realized what she'd done.
She was washing the blood off her hands when Natasha texted that they'd landed, panting as she replayed her actions over and over again. She would regret that. She made a brash decision that could cost her everything. The only thing she knew was that she could help Steve. Brooklyn didn't know what Hydra's endgame was, but she knew that it wasn't an accident that Steve was poisoned while she was on this mission.
A half hour later, a heavy knock was heard on the door, and Brooklyn answered it in a silk bathrobe over her underwear. Natasha pushed her way in first, holding the door open for Jack and Rumlow, who worked together to carry Steve. They deposited him on the bed and Brooklyn was by his side in an instant, smoothing away his hair.
"Be careful, whatever he was hit with is strong." Jack said quietly and Brooklyn looked up at him with a quivering lip. Her skin was burning she was so angry, but if she outed them as Hydra in front of Widow, they'd kill her, Natasha, and Steve.
"I'll be fine. Get out. I'll deal with him." Brooklyn warned, looking from Jack to Rumlow, then over to Natasha, "Come back in the morning. He'll be fine by then."
"You sure about this?" Natasha asked, but Brooklyn just narrowed her eyes, wanting the assassin to leave her. If she wanted to fuck Captain America, she could have done so before ruining Brooklyn's mission. "Alright, see you in the morning. Good luck, Agent Hayes."
She walked them to the door and padlocked it, breathing a sigh of relief that they hadn't noticed the body in the corner. Brooklyn quickly walked back over to Steve, pressing her hand to his forehead.
He had a fever, and his body was drenched in sweat. Despite being knocked out, she could see his erection through his uniform and decided the first thing to do was to get him out of his suit. She carefully pried the thick fabric off of him and threw it carelessly in the corner until he was naked.
Brooklyn knew Steve was perfect, inside and out, but seeing him wrecked like this built a burning desire in her core that she'd never felt before. He was so wild and undone, and she needed to help him.
Grabbing a couple of towels, Brooklyn began using a clean washcloth to wipe the sweat from his neck and chest, finding him shining in the hazy hotel lights. Finally, she began to shake his shoulders as she spoke gently, "Steve? Honey? Are you okay?"
He shifted at the sound of her voice, and she pressed the washcloth to his brow, causing his eyes to blink open. When he saw her, he began to pant, "Brooke?"
"Hey…hey." She whimpered, looking down at him with gentle eyes. "You're gonna be okay. I'm here. I'm gonna take care of you."
Steve appeared terribly confused, and Brooklyn knew that was the sex pollen invading his system. If it really was Rumlow, he would have come packed with one hell of a dose, which explained why Steve couldn't shake it. Even though Steve was here with her, Brock and Jack were probably still pumping the drug into Steve's system.
"Where are we? Honey, I got hit with the-the-"
Brooklyn could see him shaking as he stammered, his body desperately needing release from the tension that was building. "I know. You're gonna be okay. I'm going to take care of you." Brooklyn repeated, wanting to take away his pain and worry as he muttered to himself. "Shh, you're okay. You're gonna be okay." Brooklyn shimmied out of her robe and let it fall to the ground before grabbing his hands and putting them on her chest so he could feel her. His eyes grew wide and he moaned like an untamed animal, something that Brooklyn couldn't even fathom coming from her Captain America. "Steve Grant Rogers!" She exclaimed as he squeezed her, "Can you not contain yourself for one damn minute?"
"You know I can't." He yelped and she shushed him before he pulled her down on top of him so he could kiss her. His hand snaked its way to her underwear and ripped them off, giving him access to what he needed, but he found enough self-control to warn his girlfriend, "If you need me to stop, you tell me to stop. Do you understand?"
Even under the influence of the second most powerful drug he'd ever experienced, Steve was still a gentleman and Brooklyn wanted him to destroy her, "Steve." She said as she grabbed his face, holding him still so he had to look into her eyes, "Do whatever you need to feel better. I can take it," she told him bravely as her body quivered, "I love you."
"I love you too. So damn much." Steve muttered before yanking her harshly down to his mouth and flipping them over, so he was on top. She could see the terror in his eyes, and she just wanted him to get it out. Steve was scaring her. "I don't understand what's happening, but I need you," his shaky voice said as he hovered over her, "I need you so badly, but I don't want to hurt you."
Brooklyn smiled at that, taking it as a challenge, "It's nothing I haven't experienced before."
She was wrong.
Brooklyn had lost count of how many rounds she went with Steve. He'd tried to pace himself, and she enjoyed the ride, for a while, but eventually, her non-super-human body couldn't take it anymore. She'd promised she'd take care of him though, and if all he needed was a body to fuck, she'd happily offer her own.
It wasn't much different from what SHIELD used her for, but at least she knew Steve felt terrible about it.
Some time in the night, she'd fallen asleep, unable to keep her eyes open, let alone enjoy the sex. She'd passed out to the sound of Steve weeping as he pounded into her, and although everything in her wanted to comfort him, she had nothing left to give.
After a while though, she started to come to again, hearing the same soft crying coming from beside her. "Steve?" She asked quietly as she shifted, feeling every muscle in her body ache. She forced a brave smile, and he tightened his grip on her, causing the pain to shoot through her body.
Brooklyn must have grimaced, even though she couldn't even feel her own face, because Steve began to cry against her, "I'm so sorry."
"How do you feel?" She breathed out as she rested her hand on Steve's cheek. She didn't want to see him sad. It wasn't his fault. He'd been betrayed by his own teammates. It wasn't his fault.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
Brooklyn winced at his pained voice, feeling sleep creeping into her body, "Steve… it's okay. I'm okay…I love you." She heard him talking to her but couldn't make out the words because she fell back into a deep sleep.
The next thing Brooklyn remembered was the sound of Agent Romanoff's scolding voice snapping at her Steve. She was being moved around like a rag doll and her head was throbbing. Everything was throbbing. Her stomach felt off. She wasn't even sure if she still had a vagina, but if it fell out, it died valiantly. She thought. She couldn't really form thoughts through all the pain and the fuzz in her brain. "Steve?"
"Agent Hayes, this is Agent Romanoff. We're extracting you from your mission. Hold still."
That's why she was being thrown around so roughly, it was Romanoff. Steve would never hold her so tightly. He treated her like she was made of glass. Except last night. Last night she might as well have been a punching bag, but nobody else could say they were almost fucked to death by Captain America. Wait until Dallas heard.
"Where's Steve?" Brooklyn droned, her head beginning to spin even more as Steve's voice reached her, telling her he was there and apologizing again. He just kept apologizing. He shouldn't be apologizing. She was gonna be Director of Hydra.
"Don't be… it's fine. I'm just… tired…" Brooklyn hummed as she heard Rumlow's voice in the distance. She blocked out his words, slamming her eyes shut tightly until she heard Jack's voice cut through her haze, offering to carry her to the jet.
Brooklyn grabbed onto Steve, getting a fistful of hair and holding him tightly. She didn't want to go with Jack. Jack had hurt her enough. Jack Rollins was the reason she didn't drink, and he was the reason she knew exactly how Hydra's sex pollen worked.
"I've got her. I did this, I'm gonna fix it." Steve said sternly and Brooklyn just gazed into his eyes, so thankful that she had Steve. God bless Steve Rogers, he was so good to her, even when he couldn't control himself.
"It's just exhaustion." Brooklyn slurred as she loosened her grip on Steve's hair, letting her eyelids flutter closed. He'd protect her. He'd take care of her. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, even if she did kill the man she was supposed to recruit for Hydra. Steve would make sure they didn't kill her today.
Suddenly, Brooklyn was off the ground, light as a feather, and she knew she was in Steve's arms again, "I'll be okay, I promise. How are you feeling?"
Was Steve's dick okay? Oh God, what if she broke Steve's dick? That would be terrible…
"Shhh, don't worry about me right now. I need you to stay awake, okay?" Steve told her and she agreed quietly as he continued to carry her. The world moved by quickly and Brooklyn tried to focus on Steve to keep her head from spinning.
Why was she so lightheaded? She was just exhausted, but she felt so weak. She was just tired.
"Tell me what happened?" Brooklyn mumbled, needing Steve to keep talking to keep her awake. She really wanted to sleep. If she slept, she'd feel better. If she slept, she'd wake up in Steve's apartment and nobody could hurt her.
Steve told her about his mission, and Brooklyn focused as best as she could. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, but when Steve told her he'd been hit by something, she needed to make sure her theory was true.
"You were hit with something? A dart?"
"I guess. Nat couldn't find anything."
SHIELD had created the microscopic darts so small nobody could extract them. They weren't allowed to be used because there hadn't been enough trials. Only Alpha Level members could get the equipment. Pierce did this.
"When did the symptoms start?"
"They started slowly after the explosion. They got worse when we made it to the jet. I was overwhelmed. I knocked myself out. Romanoff was too close."
Brooklyn swallowed, wondering if that was always the plan. Had they intended on Steve fucking Natasha to death? Or had they wanted Steve to betray Brooklyn? She would have forgiven him, but he wouldn't have forgiven himself. That was clear based on his 'rather be knocked out that hurt my girlfriend' mentality.
"So, it started, and it got worse on it's own?" Brooklyn sighed, using all her strength to look Steve in the eyes, "Like out of nowhere, right? It wasn't gradual, it started, began to fade, then started again?"
"Yeah." Steve answered and Brooklyn felt sick.
It was SHIELD's drug they used on Steve. Pierce gave it to Rumlow. This was all planned…
"I'm so tired." Brooklyn mumbled as she closed her eyes, leaning against Steve. Natasha was talking to her, but she tried to ignore the Black Widow, until Natasha asked her a question. "When was the last time you went in for a physical?"
"July. Fury insisted."
He was worried about Steve getting me pregnant.
"Everything was on the up and up. Got all my hardware replaced.
He made sure I was taking the pill, even with the IUD.
"Why?" Brooklyn finally asked, wondering where the assassin's mind was, but she didn't answer, so she repeated louder, "Why?"
"She thinks it's more than exhaustion, Sweetheart." Steve said quietly and Brooklyn took in a sharp breath.
Shit. Could he have broken it?
"I'll be fine. Been in worse scrapes, believe me. At least you didn't try to kill me after." Brooklyn grumbled, catching a foggy glimpse of Rumlow and Rollins at the front of the jet. Deciding not to let them think they'd beat her, she looked up at Steve and sighed, "If you don't want me to sleep, I need you to keep talking to me. Tell me about that future you imagine us having."
Brooklyn spared a quick glance over at the others, seeing them stiffen at her words. When Steve began to whisper in her ear though, she forgot all about the STRIKE team, SHIELD, Hydra, Natasha. She let Steve envelope her in stories about the life they could have. Just because she knew it wouldn't happen didn't mean she didn't enjoy imagining it. Plus, it made Steve sound so happy, it was worth the ache is caused in Brooklyn's cold heart.