Steve followed the doctor down the corridor. It was almost three in the morning and the silence that surrounded them made that apparent. They passed a nurses station with two nurses and one doctor who were all busy looking at charts or staring at a computer screen. The doctor stopped in front of a room just as a nurse was coming out.

"She's sleeping. Her blood pressure is a little high, but other than that her vitals are normal." She handed the chart to the doctor and smiled at Steve. "Are you Steve?" she asked.

He nodded surprised, "Yes."

She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, toward the inside of the room, "She thought I was you after surgery and told me she loved me.'" she chuckled, "She did it to the doctor here too just before surgery."

The doctor opened the door and let Steve enter ahead of him, "You better go first, I'm married," he joked.

"At least she remembered my name," he laughed.

He entered with a smile and when he saw her it slowly faded. She looked pale and fragile laying in the bed, with tubes coming out of the back of her right hand, going into machines connected to the wall. Her left arm was bent across her chest and bandaged tightly around her torso and up around her neck. She was sound asleep with her face downcast, almost resting on her shoulder. As he moved closer to the bed, he could hear her breathe. He bent over and kissed her on the forehead, taking her hand, careful not to disturb the tubes. The doctor wheeled over a stool for him to sit on.

"Stay as long as you'd like. If she wakes up, press this to alert the nurses." He pointed toward a blue button on the wall. "I'll be back later."

"Thanks," Steve replied quietly, never taking his eyes off of her. He heard the door click shut and realized the last time they were alone together was on the island where she was safe. So he had thought. The bruises on her face were in the healing stage, but too him they were a reminder that he had failed her. She had trusted him and he had let his guard down, letting himself become comfortable with their surroundings on the island. It was one of the first things he had been taught as a Seal, 'to always be aware' and he had followed that rule tooth and nail everyday of his life, until the one time when he needed it more than ever. He couldn't even remember when it happened, but knew it was around the same time that he realized he could easily spend the rest of his life with her. He felt it just as clearly now as he did then. He knew the word perfect was exaggerated, but she was perfect for him and the two of them together felt perfect. Lexi moved her head slightly and the vacant spot where Wo Fat had cut her hair became visible. The guilt hit him with a vengeance. Going from one emotion to the other was like being punched in the gut. All he could think of was her being dragged from the house, bleeding and he couldn't do anything to stop it. It was the beginning of the worst nightmare he'd ever lived through. She was safe now, but seeing her like this, knowing it should have been prevented was almost worst than the last 36 hours. He laid his head down on the bed, overcome by fatigue and the blame he put on himself from seeing her like this, so battered and weak.

Lexi opened her eyes and blinked trying to focus. She smiled when she recognized Steve sitting next to her with his head down, thinking he was asleep. She moved her fingers that were next to his face, gently caressing him. His head came up and she was shocked to see that he was clearly upset and not sleeping. She wanted to cry from just the devastating look on his face.

The smile on her face told him she was happy to see him, which only made the guilt even more painful. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. "I'm so sorry, Lexi." he said, choking up. "This was all my fault." he squeezed her hand.

"Steve, look at me."

He didn't move. He couldn't do it.

"Don't say that. You did everything you could." She pulled her hand away and rested it on his face, touching the stitches above his eye, "You risked your life for me so many times I've lost count." she hated him feeling this way, it was tearing her heart out. "You were the only thing that kept me going. You saved my life."

Her comforting words and the way in which she spoke them, made most of the guilt he was harboring slide off his shoulders. He looked up at her and when she smiled at him he had to remind himself to breathe. In that moment, he knew he was done for, he would believe anything if it was coming from her, she had him locked in.

"You know…" he said, halfheartedly laughing, reciting her own words, "you have an incredible way of putting me at ease. Is that something you were taught, or is that just a talent you have?"

She pulled on his shirt, bringing him up for a kiss, "We're going to get along so well, Commander."

(End of Part 1. Part 2 is almost complete. Steve and Lexi slide into a comfortable life together, but when Steve receives bad news about Wo Fat, he's forced to deceive her just to keep her safe…)