A week had passed since Steve had asked Mary for help on a specific mission. He had asked her to help him track down an old war buddy; a friend he told her, who had tried to kill Steve because he didn't recognize him. Mary could respect the vulnerability he exposed when he asked her. She genuinely wanted to help, since she had begun to understand how lonely this world can feel when you belong in a different time.
She had completed her physio and she had been cleared mentally and physically at her peak performance again. She had been in the gym retaining her muscles to match the fluidity of combat fighting. The motions were coming back to her but she had begun to outmatch all her sparring partners. She could feel the familiarity and importance of having a task to focus on; she wanted to be at her best for this mission. Mary had so much respect for Steve and the belief system he held. Working alongside him made her feel ashamed, thinking of the things she had done in her past and compared to a legend like Captain America. As she was turning over her thoughts, Steve walked into the gym. She watched as his eyes scanned the room and they landed on her, he smiled and made his way over to stand next to her.
Steve had been out of the ice for three years now, living in the 21st century had been a long and difficult adjustment. There were pros and cons to this world he woke up in. He had felt so alone and when he had seen that Bucky was still alive, a hope arose in him that maybe he wouldn't be alone anymore. But he had looked into his best friends eyes and he could feel that hope dissolve. The man Steve looked at was no longer the Bucky he had known, this man was something else. Then Nick Fury had told Steve about Mary. He didn't want to feel that heartbreak again, so he hadn't allowed himself to feel much for this woman in a coma, but then she had woken up. Mary was kind and beautiful and he wanted to help her, wanted to know her. He allowed himself to feel excitement when the serum did it's work and gave her all her strength back, as it had done for him. And so, he allowed himself to feel hope.
Steve had made his way to the base gym, working out and moving his body had become the best way for him to blow off steam. He entered the room, scanning the area with all his senses and he saw Mary in the sparring ring. Her eyes were bright and focused, she was breathing heavily from a recent match and he felt an instant attraction to her that he hadn't felt in a long time. He had had many advances from women (and men, that was an adjustment for Steve) but he could never feel connected to them.
He smiled at the confused face she was wearing and made his way into the ring next to her.
"Care for a challenge today?" he asked.
"Would you like a challenge?" she teased back. "I have been finding myself bored lately." She sounded arrogant but she couldn't hide the humor in her voice; he liked the confidence she emitted. She never made him feel like a legend or a god, but an equal. He swept his hand to display his willingness to get started. "Shall we?"
She pulled her fists up to her face, making mock punches into the air in front of him. He took a step forward, she moved fast and took his feet out from under him. Steve rolled fast and jumped back on his feet. She laughed and continued to dance around him. "I thought you were going to challenge me Captain Rogers."
He moved faster this time and she batted him away easily. Steve was impressed, she was strong, a fast mover and able to predict her opponent's movements. They continued to make contact, mirroring each other's movements, no one losing and neither winning. He went to pull her arm into a lock and she flipped him onto his back, landing on top of him, her legs straddling his waist.
"I think you were going easy on me." They were both panting from the exertion of sparring, he chuckled at her comment, because he had not been going easy.
"Well I need your help, I can't bruise your ego yet." From where she sat, she looked down at him and a strand of her hair had fallen into her face. He reached up to push it back and her eyes went wide. He watched her hesitate for a second and then she pushed herself off him and offered him a hand up. "Thanks for the match. I should start packing my gear tonight. You'll debrief me in the morning?"
"Yeah, you bet." he replied. The advance he made was out of character for him, to show affection for someone he hardly knew and he now regretted the gesture. He couldn't shake the feeling she felt the same, but after her reaction he promised himself he would remain professional from now on. He didn't think he could handle anymore heartbreak in this lifetime.
Mary had panicked when Steve had touched her face and she regretted the way she had reacted. She cared for him, he made her feel safe and she felt she wasn't alone in this world with him around. But she had a secret, a secret she feared would hurt any relationship they might build.
Mary had gone undercover on one mission, as a Russian diplomats daughter and on this mission she had seen Steve's army buddy Bucky Barnes; however, she had known him as the Winter Soldier and he had been her target on that mission.