Chapter Fifty Two

The Tower was bustling with activity as the team began parting ways for the beginning of the year. Clint had a mission to go on with Natasha the following week. The two assassins had been keeping the mission rather quiet, though Ada suspected it had something to do with the drug bust in Mexico that occurred a week ago. There was still a fresh scar on the country left by the drug lord responsible. The worst part was, he'd used mutants to do the dirty work in protecting his payload.

Mutant trafficking in itself was an all-too-common problem across the world. Ada could still remember hearing reports or reading about them through SHIELD. Since they had become such an issue, Fury tried working with Professor Xavier on the matter, though, Ada suspected he wouldn't want SHIELD getting involved with their problems.

Banner had unsurprisingly decided to remain on the run once New Year's was over. He'd explained to Tony that staying in the states for too long was dangerous for him. It was better for everyone if he stayed on the move, despite what Ada tried reassuring him. She knew it wasn't easy for him. Staying on the move meant there was less of a chance that he would Hulk out and hurt someone in the process.

That left her with Tony, Pepper and Steve. To Ada's surprise, and Tony's utter annoyance, Steve chose to stay until his new apartment in Washington D.C. was finished being set up. Ada was the first to hear that he'd decided to work at SHIELD's main headquarters in Washington.

Director Fury had asked her to join Steve and Natasha on their recon missions a few weeks prior to Steve's decision. She knew this was his way of making sure that someone kept an eye on how Steve was handling missions from the twenty-first century. But, Natasha was also capable of reviewing whatever Steve did. Besides, part of her wanted to stay behind and help Tony finish the mansion's renovation.

His insistence that she join the team left her feeling both frustrated and helpless. Getting closer to Steve was something that she constantly thought of. Her mind continuously tried forming excuses that would hopefully get her out of agreeing with his mission.

The problem was, she couldn't reach a conclusion. Each time it seemed she reached an answer to the problem at hand, she hit a roadblock. Director Fury made a valid point when he mentioned it would help if he had someone he was familiar with working alongside him. Not to mention they had worked together multiple times before any decisions about Washington were made.

Why can't it be as easy as snapping my fingers together? she wondered.

"Are you sure about this?" Steve's voice brought her back to reality.

She couldn't help but glance at him self-consciously. Her thoughts on what Director Fury asked of her left her mind spinning with countless possibilities. Ada had no doubt that Steve would never agree to be her neighbor if he knew her real motives.

She shook her head at the thought. She needed to focus on the present, not the future. Now, she was standing in the middle of the sparring mat with Steve on the other side. Both had been unsure of where to go with their day. Since Tony was busy trying to deal with whatever mess happened at Stark Industries with Pepper's help, they were alone. That made things all the more awkward as she tried figuring out what to say or even do.

"Steve, I've gotten my ass handed to me by Clint and Natasha on a daily basis for the last five years," she reminded him with a shrug. "This probably won't be any different."

A sparring session had come as a last resort. It was snowing outside, and bitterly cold. Ada had already promised a cup of hot chocolate when it was all said and done, along with a movie from his time. They tried coming up with ideas to pass the time. Board games was the first suggestion Steve made, but the Tower didn't have any. Ada finally reached a suggestion they could both agree with. She knew she was anything but easy to deal with when they were alone. So, she was grateful Steve hadn't been too terrified and agreed to find something to do.

"I've just… I've never had to hurt another girl before," he admitted, suddenly looking sheepish when he realized the position he'd put himself in.

Ada almost laughed at his expression, until she noticed he was being serious. This wasn't the first time she had to remind herself that Steve wasn't originally from this century. She rose an eyebrow in surprise and cocked her head to one side in amusement.

"Well, today's your lucky day." She didn't miss the fact that Steve's cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink. "Believe me, I can take a hit."

"I don't know…"

Steve was already beginning to have second thoughts about this idea. When he agreed to spending time at the gym, he had been hoping to use the punching bag or possibly go for a run. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally hurt her. Though, he was fully aware that she could take more than a few hits. He'd seen what she was capable of in a firefight.

"You're not afraid, are you?"

Though she knew she was taunting and pushing her limits, it seemed to work. Steve's eyes shot up the moment she said that. Faster than she thought possible, he lunged. Ada moved to the side before Steve could reach her, catching him by surprise when she sent him flying to the floor.

Not for the first time, Ada was thankful that Natasha taught her a few moves to catch people off guard. The look Steve gave her when he jumped back to his feet was priceless.

"Nat trained you?" he asked after recovering from his initial surprise.

"Back when I first joined SHIELD," she gave a nod, dodging to the side when their session continued, "Technically, Clint was my teacher before I graduated to Natasha. Said there wasn't anything else to teach me, but I think he got tired of putting up with me."

She could still remember the constant arguments they would get into during sparring practice. There were times when she thought he would use her for target practice after getting so frustrated. The only reason Clint hadn't taken his anger out on her was because Coulson got in the way. Her former handler had always been there to keep an eye on her training. Despite knowing that she could take care of herself, Coulson also cared enough to make sure that things never got too out of hand between them.

"You were only fourteen when you first joined," Steve pointed out with a huff.

He managed to land a blow to her cheek, but it wasn't hard enough to leave her reeling with pain. She rolled to the side just as he tried aiming for an opening. Their movements became more calculated over the next few blows.

"Your point being?" she retorted when she caught his fist this time. Her reflexes had gotten better over the years. Steve seemed to sense that, because he went for an unexpected move and swung out his right leg. She let out a gasp when she landed on the mat seconds later. "Fury thought it would be good for me to have early access to training; learning to defend myself was the best excuse they could come up with."

Steve looked at her incredulously when he finally had her pinned to the floor. He knew there was more to that story than she was letting on. SHIELD never wanted her to join the agency. The Council had been against it from the very beginning because she was so young, and had powers. It was Fury who had been so intent on her joining.

"You wanted to learn more about yourself," he guessed after realization dawned on him.

She gave a faint nod, feeling her heart race a little when their eyes met. Though he still had her pinned, he wasn't putting any extra weight on her. He made it seem effortless taking her down, and that irritated her.

"I wanted to learn more about my people," she admitted. "I thought that if anyone had the answers to my questions, SHIELD would."

A sudden pang of guilt stabbed at her heart when she thought of all the lies she had to tell Tony years before he found out. She could still remember coming back home with fresh bruises and injuries that couldn't be explained. Most of the time, she would lock herself away until she found a valid excuse. Steve was ready to say something else when her phone suddenly went off. Both exchanged looks of surprise, and for a moment, Ada was afraid Tony might have had Jarvis record the whole thing.

While Tony may have told her that he was okay with her decision to date someone like Steve, that didn't mean she would jump at the opportunity. Something in the back of her mind told her that he would act out of sheer instinct if he noticed there was anything suspicious going on between them.

"Ada, are you there?" Darcy Lewis's voice sounded on the other end. Ada rose an eyebrow in surprise at the sound of her voice.

"Uh, kind of," she replied after realizing Jarvis had answered it for her. She would need to thank the AI when she had the chance, "You mind letting me up?"

She glanced at Steve sheepishly, suddenly aware of how close they had been to reaching a mutual understanding. Steve's cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink when he realized too late that she was still pinned underneath him.

"Wait, who's on top of you?" The sound of laughter echoed on the other end, and Ada had to roll her eyes at Darcy's sense of humor.

"I'd rather not say," she admitted. She chewed the bottom of her lip guiltily when she glanced in Steve's direction. "Is there any reason you're randomly calling me? It's not even noon."

Ada knew Darcy was infamous for sleeping in until noon. The two of them had been keeping in touch, despite Jane's protests over the fact that she worked for SHIELD. Darcy was a fun person to talk to, and easy to get along with. That was one of the many reasons she decided to keep in touch with Jane's assistant.

"Could you possibly maybe join us in London?" Darcy suddenly asked. Ada's brow rose higher than she thought possible. It was the most random question she could have been asked, and she wasn't expecting Darcy of all people to ask her. "It's so boring here, and all Jane does is sulk about the fact that Thor isn't around. She's gotten to the point where she sits around on a couch all day and mopes."

By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh. Something told her that Jane wouldn't forgive Darcy for inviting her on a trip to London. Yet, it was an opportunity to see how they were doing in person. She hadn't seen either of them since New Mexico. Selvig had mentioned that they were fine after the battle of Manhattan, but it would be good to see them again.

"I'm sure my father won't mind," she chuckled with a shake of her head. "Are you sure Jane's going to be okay with me visiting?"

Jane hadn't quite gotten over the fact that she worked for SHIELD. Another pang of guilt followed when she recalled how they found out in the first place. Jane only found out after Thor left Earth. Ada had been reluctant to tell her for a reason, but after that, she didn't have much of a choice when Coulson showed up at their doorstep.

"Jane can suck it if she gets all pissed off," Darcy brushed it off as though it was nothing. At that point, Ada was smothering a fit of laughter when she caught the incredulous look written across Steve's face. Darcy wasn't aware that she had her phone on speaker. "Look, just get your butt over here so I can have someone fun to talk with."

"I'll see what I can do," Ada reassured her once she made it clear she didn't have a choice.

Going to London wouldn't be too big of a deal. She doubted Tony would be upset with the idea of her going on a trip. Especially since it meant spending time away from Steve. Though, when she caught the look Steve was giving her, she wondered if that was such a good idea.

"Darcy Lewis?" he asked with a raised brow.

"We met during the incident in New Mexico," she explained with a shrug, "Darcy wanted to keep in touch… I figured it's a good idea, since she's fairly easy to get along with."

Well, she was easier to get along with than Jane, that was for sure. Not that Ada had anything against Jane. She just wished the other woman would start seeing eye-to-eye with her. The only reason she'd been to New Mexico in the first place was to see if Jane had information on her people.

She let out a sigh when they left the gym after that. Something in the back of her mind told her that things would have taken a different turn if Darcy hadn't called. Steve's blush said it all. Even if they hadn't planned on moving forward as anything more than friends, a small part of her wanted more.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pushed you the way I did," she suddenly apologized as they headed up the stairs. The main living room would feel strangely empty since both Tony and Pepper were away. Since they did leave for a business trip, Ada and Steve made a point to spend the afternoon either training or watching movies. Or, possibly both. "The last thing I want is to make things awkward."

"We're way past that," Steve pointed out.

Ada flinched when she glanced at him self-consciously. She knew she was pushing her luck with Steve. Not for the first time, she found herself thinking back to what Tony told her.

We're never going to get anywhere by arguing like this, she thought bitterly. She wished it was as easy as admitting her feelings. Yet, each time she tried thinking of a reason to admit them, something would come up. Whether she found an excuse to slip away, or vise-versa, she never got the chance. The worst part was, she didn't know whether he felt the same way. Maybe it's time I stopped trying to focus on my feelings.

Life was complicated enough without love forcing its way into her heart. Steve didn't bother pressing any further on the subject since the morning they woke up together on the couch. She wasn't even sure if he did feel the same way. True, they spent more time together over the last few months, but that was only because she had been teaching him how to use modern technology.

She shook her head at the thought. Waiting certainly wasn't getting her anywhere. The longer she waited, the harder it would be to admit the truth. She let out a sigh when she reached the balcony looking over the city.

Maybe a trip to London would be a good way to take her mind off of the matter. Anything was certainly better than the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. A vacation was something that she desperately needed, now more than ever.

AN: Since FF was having so much trouble getting the site back in order the other day, I figured I would update today rather than yesterday. This doesn't mean I'll be updating every Sunday, but I wanted to give readers something. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring, or unbelievable. I do want to go into Thor: Dark World and move on from one movie to the next, until we reach the Winter Soldier and AOU... After that, I'm not sure what I'll be doing. Huge thanks to BriaKayee for reviewing; reviews are always greatly appreciated, and provide further motivation :)

BriaKayee - Thanks for reviewing; hopefully this chapter was satisfying enough, though the next one may be just a hint shorter since it's more of a filler ^^