The sun streamed through the partially open curtains, causing Mary to gently blink her eyes open. Still dressed in her clothes from the night before, she feels Steve's deep breaths of sleep blow against the back of her neck. His arm is wrapped around her midsection and their bodies are close together. She smiles at the intimate moment, before gently peeling his arm off her body and rolls off the bed. They hadn't even made it under the covers; sleep grabbed them quickly after a passionate moment together.
Mary checks the time to see it's only 7am so she throws on a sweater and slips out the door of the room. She makes her way downstairs on a hunt for food. She can smell the spread by the time she gets to the first floor landing and her grumbling stomach steers her forward.
She grabs two black coffees in to-go cups and fills a plate with an assortment of breakfast foods. It's been awhile since they were at the resort in Mexico and they've been missing a healthy, loaded meal; she can tell the breakfast is all homemade and with her hands full, she rushes back up the stairs to wake up Steve.
Mary clicks open the door, notices right away the bed is empty and turns to see Steve naked but for a small towel wrapped around his waist. His body is still wet from a quick shower and he starts to blush and rubs the back of the head. The movement only accentuates his tone body and Mary places the breakfast on the tv stand and swiftly moves to give him a soft kiss on his lips. He's surprised by the gesture, but it comes naturally between them now.
"It's not the forties Steve. You don't have to be so shy." Feeling bold she slides her hand down his chest and his body tenses under her touch, "Although bashful on you is adorable." She glides over the moment and passes him a cup of coffee, enjoying the easy rapport they have now.
"Thanks." Steve says, smiling over the cup at her.
After Steve dresses, they enjoy the meal together, agreeing to keep work talk off limits for the duration of the breakfast. When they're finished, Mary places the dishes on the rooms desk and sits back on the bed beside Steve. He rubs his hand along her low back, where her shirt has lifted up slightly; his fingers hook on her hip and he pulls her closer. She leans into his large frame, breathing in the smell of his aftershave and minty soap. Steve kisses the top of her head and Mary smiles at the affection, but she reluctantly pulls away. Steve lets out a sigh and looks down at her with a curious, teasing smile.
"We should probably get to work." Mary says, nudging him with her shoulder. He pulls her in for one last squeeze, she wraps her arms around his body again and feels his cheek rested on top of her head. Savoring the moment a little longer, she waits for him to pull away this time. When he does he places his fingers under her chin, pulling her face up to his. "One more," he whispers before brushing a gentle kiss to her lips. She melts into it and when the moment is over, it's all business and Mary gets dressed into warm tactical gear.
"Here." Mary says, tossing a baseball cap to Steve, "to keep you inconspicuous. If that's possible." she adds with a teasing grin. Steve tucks the hat over his face and gives her a wink. They gather up their gear and head out the hotel door.
Mary waves goodbye to Ms. Johnson at the front desk, noticing a man in his thirties working on the door to the back room. She makes a mental note of the new face and follows Steve out into the parking lot. It's colder today and there's a light drift of snow coming down, making the world feel like a snowglobe. Throwing the assortment of bags into the back of their rental truck, Mary then pulls up the address of Jack Sharp and starts to direct Steve through town.
The address takes them to a small, yellow house just on the edge of the town. There's a man in fur lined denim jacket, cowboy hat and leather boots to match waiting for them on the porch. He gives a wave and starts walking to the passenger side. Mary rolls down the window to greet him, "Morning." he says. "You must be the lady I chatted with on the phone yesterday."
"Yes sir, Agent Mary." She sticks her hand out the window and he gives it a polite shake. "We want to check out the cabin you rented."
"Alright." he gestures towards his pickup truck. "Well, follow me. It's about a fifteen minute drive down some backroads behind town."
The drive is short and Mary and Steve sit in silence, following the trail of snow Jack's truck leaves. When they arrive, the slam of truck doors is the only sound in the forest surrounding the cabin. It's a small, log cabin with a tiny porch and two windows. There's chopped wood leaning against the front and a chimney poking up in the back.
"When was the last time you saw the renter?" Mary asks.
Jack rubs his stubbled chin thoughtfully, "He brought his payment to me the first of the month so would have been a couple weeks now. He asked for privacy when he first came to me. I told him as long as he made rent, I could agree to that. No idea what he got up to out here though. Had the feeling he was running from something."
"Thank you." Mary says. "Wait out here while we inspect the cabin. Steve take the perimeter, I'll enter through the front door." He gives a nod and starts to make his way along the right side of the cabin, past the tower of leaning logs.
Mary goes to the door and gives an apprehensive knock, peering through the small door window. With no sign of life, she jiggles the doorknob and the door swings open. A musky, earthy smell hits her senses and she notices a wood burning stove in the corner under where the chimney would be. There's a small sink with dishes hanging on the wall, a bed in the opposite corner of the stove and a small table with a lone chair. She approaches the stove, placing her hand on it and quickly pulls her hand away. It's still warm!
As she uncovers this detail she hears a shout come from outside. Grabbing her gun from her hip, she rushes back out the door and notices Jack Sharp approaching a figure dressed in black, trying to break into their rental truck.
"Stay back Mr. Sharp." she shouts, raising her gun. The mystery person lifts their head and she notices they're wearing a ski mask. Seeing her, the man takes off in a run through the trees, zig zagging in every direction so she can't get a clear shot. She starts to pursue, but out of the corner of her eye she sees Steve leap over the hood of the truck and run after the attacker.
Mary turns to Jack, "Are you alright?" He waves her worries away with a flick of his hand.
"Fine fine. He was trying to get into your truck, didn't notice I was still out here I guess."
"Was it the man you were renting to?"
"No. He was too small. And I didn't notice the...well, you know. The metal fingertips."
"Right. Ok. Thank you." Mary says and then notices Steve jogging back to them empty handed.
"What happened?" Mary asks surprised.
"I don't know." Steve replies looking perplexed. "He just disappeared. Was it Bucky?" he asks.
"No. Jack says it couldn't be. Too small."
"Damn it." Steve whispers under his breath. Mary approaches him, putting both hands on his shoulders.
"Hey, easy. It's ok Steve. Bucky isn't here, we already deduced that. We can still help these people though. Something's going on and someone is using this cabin. The stove was still warm." He nods his head in agreement.
"I found garbage and compost behind the cabin as well." he says.
"Let's do a scan of the woods, see if we can find out where this mystery attacker went." She turns to Jack Sharp now. "Mr. Sharp, I think it would be best if you headed back to town, this isn't what we expected and we can't have any civilians getting harmed. We can find our way back to town."
"Alright then. Call me if you need anything else."
"Thank you." She shakes his hand and waits until he's driving back down the road before she turns to Steve. He's at the truck grabbing gear, his shield already strapped to his back.
Letting Steve take the lead this time, they start to make their way through the trees and follow the tracks of the pursuit.
"So when you say he disappeared..?" Mary says to Steve's back.
"I was running after him, sure I could cover the distance because he was running erratically and then I looked down to jump over a log, he was gone when I got my bearings again."
"Where would he go?" Mary says looking around at the dense forest of trees.
"Doesn't help with the snow coming down heavier now, I've already lost the trail. I think this trail here," he points down at the ground, "was made by deer. I can't tell. Either that or he was a mutant and has some kind of power."
"A what?"
"They didn't brief you on mutants?" Steve asks. "People born with special abilities?"
"Well yeah, kinda. I just didn't realize they were common enough to be a problem."
"Most of them aren't a problem, they're just trying to fit into this world. I don't know how else to explain the lack of trail." He says frowning now and walking back to the truck. "And why would he be trying to get into our truck?" Mary shrugs, unsure of the mystery as he is.
Twenty minutes later they're back at the hotel and hauling gear back up the stairs. Steve doesn't want to risk the assailant breaking into the truck for whatever it is they're looking for. Mary goes back down the stairs to fetch some warm coffee and donuts she noticed laid out in the common area.
When Mary comes back up she halts at the room door; she can hear Steve talking abruptly to someone on the other side. She hears no other voices and figures he's on the phone. She loiters outside the door for a moment to allow him some privacy, from the tone of his voice she can't imagine it's good news.
After a few moments of silence, she hazards a guess it's safe and enters the room. She sees Steve seated on the bed, his head hanging in his hands and a cell phone discarded beside him.
"What's up?" she asks. Turning to gaze up at her she sees grief etched across his face and her stomach drops. "What's wrong?"
He stares at the phone, "That was Wanda. They have a location on Brock Rumlow." He turns back to her now and reaches a hand out, she takes it and nestles into his side. "He was a high level HYDRA agent. Dangerous to the public. My team needs me." He pulls her in close and she lets him, knowing what's coming next. "I'm sorry. I have to go."
She shifts her body so she can look at him, forcing a tight smile. "It's ok. I understand." She dips her head back down against his chest so he can't see her eyes. "I can handle this case from here. And if I find anything on Sergeant Barnes, I'll pass it on." He kisses her on the forehead and she regretfully realizes it might be the last time.
"I have to pack." He says, getting up now. "They're sending a quinjet already and sending me to Nigeria to meet the rest of the team." He' already gathering his belongings amongst the room and throwing them in a duffel bag.
"Right. Ok." Mary says, moving to rest her back against the bed headboard. She grabs her laptop and tries to make herself busy. She bites her lip to fight back emotions, chastising herself for falling for a man whose morals take priority. Lost in her thoughts she doesn't notice he's standing at the end of the bed looking at her, his face relaying as many emotions as hers.
"Jet's five minutes out." he says.
"Ok." she barely manages to say, waiting for him to lead her through this goodbye.
"Did you want to come to the jet or..umm-" he trails off, shuffling nervously on his feet.
"No. I don't think that would be appropriate," she says sliding off the side of the bed to stand. "We can say goodbye here." She nervously tugs at her shirt and Steve finally closed the distance between them, pulling her into a strong embrace.
"I wish we had more time." he says into her hair.
She breathes him in one last time, "Me too."
"Second hardest goodbye I've had to do." He says, his voice thick and muffled.
She pulls back and wraps her arms around the back of his neck. He leans down and their lips meet. The kiss starts off unsure, slow and gentle and then something urges them as the kiss deepens. Their lips pressed hard against each other, movements quick and passionate. Steve is the first to pull away, he looks down at Mary and brushes a thumb across her cheek. He presses one last kiss to her lips and she lets her hands drop from the back of his head. He squeezes her hand, "I'll see you soon."
"Ok." She smiles at him, "bye." He leaves the room and when the door clicks she finally lets the tears fall, pressing a finger to her lips where she can still feel the tingle of their last kiss.
A hard chapter to write. I now know how I'm going to end this story, only a few more chapters so I can wrap it up appropriately. Thanks for reading. Leave a review! I appreciate feedback