Author's Notes: Over 80 favorites! Thank you!
One year later.
Washington D.C.
It was early morning and Laura was running around the National Mall.
It was twilight on the early April day in 2014.
Turning right to run parallel along the large columns of the Lincoln Memorial.
Running in her leggings, old MIT t shirt and earbuds blasting Wu Tang in her ears.
Her curls bouncing up and down in its bun along with her necklace and bracelet.
She had been in D.C. the past few days because Stark Industries was launching a streaming service.
Called Stark Plus.
Stark buying out a movie studio so they could begin making their own movies and TV series.
So she had been meeting with lawyers and the FCC with content and broadcasting regulation.
Nonstop meetings the past three days.
It had bored her to tears.
She wouldn't say she was getting burnt out of her job but still…
It was becoming redundant.
She had taken up running after her surgery.
Rebuilding her lost leg muscle.
Staying in shape to keep up with Nat's strict standards.
She also wanted to stay in shape for herself.
But most importantly it was because of T'Challa.
Even without his superhuman strength she felt self-conscious compared to him.
If you would have told that she would be secretly dating the Prince of her parents birth nation, which turned out to be a secret utopia.
Well, excluding Tony but she trusted him she would have slapped herself.
He was too perfect to her even in her wildest nonexistent dreams.
The twenty eight year old sighed while she was jogging alongside the pool on the dirt path.
Getting lost in her thoughts.
Moving her arms with sweat all over her.
She truly loved T'Challa at this point in their relationship.
It took a bit longer for her to admit it out loud compared to him but when she surprised him with a visit on his last birthday she admitted her feelings for the Prince who stole her heart.
And his parents treated her as one of their own.
Shuri acting like she was a sister to her.
But here she was, in DC and not in Wakanda where she wanted to be.
To be with T'Challa.
Her very public life as the COO of Stark Industries and an Avenger prevented her from just walking away from it all and being with him.
That and the true nature of Wakanda.
But she was in a committed adult relationship with him and that was more than she ever could have dreamed of.
There was another reason why she was in D.C. though.
And that was Steve.
There was a Captain America exhibit opening up at the Smithsonian today and she wanted to go with him.
And while she was here she was helping him catch up on modern culture and getting to know him.
Watching a few popular movies and her telling him to make a list of stuff he thought of to keep track to catch up on.
Now the two were on "Empire Strikes Back"
She found him to be really nice and learnt that he had taken a job at SHIELD with the STRIKE black ops team.
Speaking of Steve, she heard a rapidly approaching set of footsteps running up behind her.
"On your left." she heard him while he sprinted past her at his super human rate.
"Shut up." she hissed, trying to catch her breath after looping around the reflective pool.
She looked over across the other side to see Steve passing a jogging man.
She reached to the end of the street in front of the Capitol building.
Her parallel parked black Model S on the side and she collapsed in exhaustion underneath a tree.
Leaning against it.
A pool of sweat soaking her shirt.
Taking out her blaring Stark Pods to place in her pocket.
She saw Steve bolting around the pool once more and a few moments the jogging man slowing down up to her.
Just as exhausted as she was.
"Is this tree taken?" he joked between pants.
"No, you're fine." she said while patting the grass next to her.
He smirked before collapsing next to her.
Her noticing his Air Force shirt.
"Sam Wilson." he offered his hand.
"Laura Watson." she nodded and shook it.
"Yeah, I already that." he joked.
"The downside to fame." she smiled back.
"You with Captain America?" he asked, nodding back to him who was jogging to him.
"Kinda. I see you met him." she smiled.
Before he could respond Steve came running up to them.
"Need a medic?" he joked.
Laura glared at him while Sam laughed.
"I need a new set of lungs. Dude, you just ran like 13 miles in 30 minutes." he said, not exaggerating.
"I guess I got a late start." Steve joked and Laura rolled her eyes.
"And that Sam is the oh so humble Captain America." she joked.
"Hey, Romanoff told me to encourage you." he joked back.
She just shook her head but Steve noticed Sam's shirt.
"What unit you with?" he asked.
"58, Pararescue. But now I'm working down at the VA." Sam said, lifting his arm up to him.
"Sam Wilson." "Steve Rogers." he helped him up.
"Yeah, I figured with you and Watson together." he joked, indicating between her. Him helping Laura up.
"Thanks." she nodded.
"Must have freaked you out coming home after the whole defrosting thing." Sam stated.
"It takes some getting used to. It's good to meet you, Sam." Steve nodded.
Laura smiled and nodded at him before the two began walking back to her car.
"It's your bed, right?" Sam spoke up.
The two turned around.
"What's that?" Steve asked.
"Your bed, it's too soft. When I was over there I'd sleep on the ground and use rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and it's like..." Sam began to clarify but he finished for him.
"Lying on a marshmallow. Feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor." he said and Sam nodded.
"Firm mattress. Soft pillow is the best combo." Laura spoke up.
"Hard pillow for me but I'd imagine your living conditions over there weren't great as well." he said gently, indicating her kidnapping.
She nodded.
"Three months on a dirty cot in a cave will make anything modern comfortable." she joked lightheartedly.
"You must miss the good old days, huh?" Sam asked Steve.
"Well, things aren't so bad. Food's a lot better, we used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot trying to catch up. She's making me write a list." he nodded down to Laura.
Sam paused to think of a suggestion.
"Marvin Gaye, 1972, "Trouble Man" soundtrack. Everything you've missed jammed into one album." Laura smiled in approval.
"I'll put it on the list." Steve pulled out a small notebook of the stuff to catch up on which included I Love Lucy (Television); Moon Landing; Berlin Wall Steve Jobs (Apple); Disco; Thai Food; Star Wars/Trek and Marvin Gaye.
He and Laura both got an alert on their phones and pulled out their Stark Phones.
Getting a group text reading
"Mission alert. Extraction imminent. Meet at the curb. :)") from Nat and Laura frowned.
"You too?" Steve asked confused.
"No idea considering our last mission didn't go exactly well." she said sarcastically.
"Alright, Sam, duty calls. Thanks for the run. If that's what you wanna call running." Steve joked, shaking his hand.
"Oh, that's how it is?" he joked back.
"It's nice to meet you, Sam." Laura shook his hand.
"You too." he shook it as Nat pulled up in her Corvette and her straight hair.
"Hey why'd you send me this text as well?" she asked while showing her screen to her.
Walking up to he, leaning against her open window.
"Fury asked for you specifically and I thought you'd want to do this than another day of here working. And I'm asking nicely." she explained.
Laura frowned but the part of her that wanted to go outgrew the professional part of her.
Although she was confused why Fury wanted her since she and him didn't part on the best of terms.
She suspected ulterior motives.
"I'm only doing this because work has become so... painfully boring." she conceded.
"Of course Laura, of course.." Nat gave her a knowing smirk.
She scowled dramatically before backing away.
Sam crouched down behind them to admire Nat's car.
"How you doing?" he smirked.
"Hey." she nodded back.
Laura headed to the driver's seat of her car and opened the door.
"Can't run everywhere." Steve said before walking to her passenger seat.
"No, you can't." he said before he got in.
Her speeding off, burning rubber and Nat chasing after her.
In a Quinjet over the Indian Ocean that night, the Strike Team, lead by Brock Rumlow, along with Laura who was in a black jumpsuit with a Black Bird logo on her chest.
Steve in his new sleeker Captain America uniform and Nat were getting ready.
She was loading her dual Glocks, placing them in her holsters while Rumlow gave them a rundown of the mission on a monitor.
Her spear safely hidden strapped under her suit.
"The target is a mobile satellite launch platform: The Lemurian Star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, 93 minutes ago." he explained.
"Any demands?" Laura asked.
"A billion and a half." Rumlow answered.
"Why so steep?" Steve asked.
"Because it SHIELD's." he revealed.
Her and Steve shared a knowing look.
She frowned when he gave Nat an accusing glare.
"So it's not off-course, it's trespassing." he corrected.
"I'm sure they have a good reason." she said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I'm sure Fury has a good reason." Laura rolled her eyes behind her glasses dramatically.
Strapping on her hand wraps.
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor." Steve said annoyed.
"Relax, it's not that complicated." Nat reassured them.
"Whatever. How many pirates?" Laura asked, getting back to the mission at hand.
"Twenty-five, top mercs, led by this guy. Georges Batroc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French demobilized him, he had thirty-six kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties." Rumlow said while bringing up a headshot of him.
"Hostages?" Steve asked.
"Uh...mostly techs. One officer, Jasper Sitwell. They're in the galley." he replied.
:What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship? Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you'll kill the engines and wait for instructions. Laura, you go with Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to the life-pods, get 'em out. Let's move." Steve ordered.
She nodded in agreement.
"STRIKE, you heard the Cap. Gear up." Rumlow ordered his team.
The Quinjet descended Laura began strapping on a parachute.
"Secure channel seven." she heard Steve's voice in her earpiece.
"Seven secure." her and Nat repeated.
"Did you do anything fun Saturday night?" Nat asked casually.
"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so... No, not really." he joked.
Laura smiled.
"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'd probably say yes." Nat revealed.
"That's why I don't ask." Steve argued.
"Too shy or too scared?" Nat teased while Steve pressed a button, opening the ramp and grabbing his shield.
"Too busy!" he jumped out.
Laura just shook her head.
"Damn super soldiers." she said in disbelieve.
Nat grabbed her wrist to pull her aside briefly.
"Speaking of dates our mutual friend told me something very interesting regarding your personal love life." she teased her, giving her a smirk.
She frowned.
"I admit nothing." she crossed her arms.
"You will. After the mission and a bottle of Russia's finest at my place." Nat offered.
"You say that like I have a choice." she accused.
"I can give you the illusion of choice." Nat conceded.
"Fine." she replied but before Nat could respond Rumlow interrupted them.
"We're approaching the drop zone. Watson, you're with me."
Laura, Nat, and the team jumped out.
Free falling into the night sky briefly before opening their chutes.
She spotted Steve in the middle of the rapidly approaching deck of the ship and a pirate aiming his rifle at him.
She brought out her gun and shot him in the head.
Surprising Steve as he dropped dead.
Rumlow was gliding next to her as they landed.
Their chutes floating behind them.
"Good shot." he nodded.
"I was trained by the best." she nodded to Nat who landed.
"That's right. What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you? She seems kind of nice." she asked Steve.
"Secure the engine room, then find me a date." he ordered.
"I'm multitasking." she said before jumping down below deck and ran off to the engine room.
"So, hostages?" Laura asked Rumlow.
"Galley." he nodded up to the bridge.
"Right…" she brought out her other Glock and he nodded.
"STRIKE team, behind me."
Laura, Rumlow, and the team snuck their way onto the bridge and up the stairs to the galley.
They heard a guard yelling through the metal door in French as Rumlow brought out his taser.
He silently approached him with Laura and the STRIKE team drawing their guns.
He tased him in the head and the guard collapsed.
The team, minus her, Rumlow and strapped repelling equipment and climbed out the windows, gliding down the side of the ship.
Rumlow and Laura aimed their guns at the door while secured a detonator on it.
"Targets acquired." Laura head in her ear.
"STRIKE in position." Rumlow confirmed.
"Natasha, what's your status?" she heard Steve asked.
"Hang on!" she heard Nat shout.
She frowned.
"Engine room secure." she heard moments later.
"On my mark. Three. Two. One." Steve ordered.
The repelled agents shot through the windows, taking out multiple pirates simultaneously Rumlow blasted the door open and she shot at the two remaining pirates while Rumlow shot the hostage taker fatally.
Sitwell tilting his head towards him.
"I told you, SHIELD doesn't negotiate."
"Come on, lets' go!" Laura spoke forcefully to the agents.
They all undid their bindings quickly, scrambling upwards and the group were escorted out to the hall by her, Rumlow and STRIKE.
"Hostages en route to extraction. Romanoff missed the rendezvous point, Cap. Hostiles are still in play." Rumlow told him.
"Natasha where are you?" Laura hissed angrily.
Knowing she was purposely not following the mission.
Never getting an answer from her.
Little did she know just how right her suspicions would be when moments later she heard a loud explosion from the bridge above.
