Being shouted at by at ninety-eight year old, ageless, former assassin and general badass is never not going to be intimidating. Even if said person is sort of your friend now and they're shouting at you because they think you might have done something stupid. When someone is that tall and that dangerous and they're standing over you, it's perfectly natural to feel the hairs stand up at the back of your neck.
"It's been twelve weeks, nothing's happened", I said in a quiet voice.
"HYDRA's got a long a memory" James hissed.
"Its not like I am living free and easy. I have to call the protection team every day at a specified time so they know I'm not dead, I spend all day in a SHIELD lab and if I'm not in the lab, I'm at the VA hospital and if I'm not at either of those places I'm with Sam. Or with you".
For the next the twelve weeks or so Agent Merriweather accompanied me everywhere, which was both stifling and reassuring all at the same time. I finally asked for the close protection to be lifted or at the very least be reduced after I was standing in line at the grocery store and he crept up behind me and slipped a box of my favourite brand of tampons and Advil in my basket with an apologetic smile and a knowing nod. When your bodyguard knows your cycle, you've been in protection too long. Besides HYDRA must have bigger fish to fry because no one had tried to follow up on that failed hit in New York. The close protection was lifted and although I accepted I was potentially more at risk I also felt like I could breathe. James was not happy about it. But he was just going to have to accept it.
"They wont have forgotten you", he pointed out. James closed his eyes and leaned back against the table, exasperated. I took the time to appraise him unnoticed. He was dressed in blue jeans and a long sleeved gray sweater, despite the season he still wore thin leather gloves. He'd not shaven today by the looks of it, his dimpled chin and face covered in fine dark stubble. He'd let his hair grow longer again, today tied back tightly at the back of his head. Dark circles under his eyes told me his sleep was still troubling him, despite the good work Steve was doing. He pinched the bridge of his nose and then opened his eyes. Bright blue and beautiful.
"Are you going to yell at me all afternoon or are we going to get this work done?" I asked him.
"Alright" he agreed pulling off his gloves and tugged off his sweater. I looked down, pretending to find something on my tablet very interesting so he wouldn't see how interesting I found the way his muscles moved as he undressed. He un tucked his navy vest and was about to pull that off too. "It's okay you can leave that on" I stopped him. I didn't need to see him shirtless, didn't need that distraction. He sat down on the chair and presented his cybernetic arm on the side table ready for my inspection. I sat down next to him and I caught him smiling.
"What?" I asked.
"Just like old times", he remarked and I smiled back in spite of myself. There weren't really any fond memories from that time that we could smile about. And I began the work. I'd found a new role in the new SHIELD; nice sedate lab based work in the development and testing of electronic communications. I didn't think they'd take me back but after some serious testing and vetting I was in. There were lots of new openings after a bunch of our scientists turned coat and now worked for HYDRA. Electronic communications was my official line of work for them but I had an unofficial role, one which if I was honest probably was more responsible for my successful reapplication to SHIELD than any test I took. I was James' technician. He wasn't officially a SHIELD agent, more of an ally. Steve offered him a chance to take on HYDRA as part of a team. Just like they did seventy odd years ago. He didn't have to do it on his own anymore. SHIELD wanted him in and I guess as I held the specs for his arm I'd have to be found a job too.
"You never used to hum as you worked. You're happy here?" James asked me, interrupting my thoughts. I didn't realise I was humming.
"It's a lot nicer here. For one I know no ones hovering around with a semi-automatic and two, I know you're definitely here by choice and no one is going to hurt you when I leave the room" I said as I finished up.
"You had no part in that" James replied gently.
"But I knew what they were doing to you". I could still hear him scream even now, here in my nice new bright shiny lab.
"You couldn't have stopped it Lucy and trying would have probably just gotten you killed. They'll get theirs. I'll make sure of it". He stood up and flexed his arm. "Feels good. What did you do in there?"
"Some fancy new circuitry, it'll quicken reflexes and enhances touch sensitivity further" I replied. He suddenly put his hand on my cheek and I blushed.
"Yeah. I feel it" He told me, his eyes not leaving mine. "Thank you".
"You know I'm not a doctor. In fact I've been thinking, you would really benefit from letting someone else, more qualified than me look at you in future". James dropped his hand and I sighed at the loss of contact.
"No. No one else looks", James shot the idea down. "Steve has got doctors looking at my body and my mind already as it is".
"You know who you would really benefit from seeing? Tony Stark" I pointed out, watching disappointed as he pulled back on his sweater.
"No one else", he repeated.
"You should at least consider it. I'm only working from Doctor Fogal's ideas and our results. And its taking me a long time. I'm not a genius. Imagine what someone super smart who wasn't an evil scientist could do for you", I told him.
"You're doing great. Are you going to tap that little screen thing to declare me fit for operations?" He asked me hovering by the door.I tapped a few commands on the tablet. "You're not going to tell me if you've passed me?"
"All results are confidential. Directors orders" I replied smugly holding the tablet close to my chest.
"You know you've sure changed from that girl I tied to her kitchen chair", he remarked coolly.
"So have you. This was how I was pre Pierce" I replied standing my ground.
"It's lucky I like her too", James smiled and disappeared out of the room.
"James..." I called back suddenly anxious.
"Yeah?" He replied returning to the room.
"If I did pass you. And the others passed you, you'd be cleared to go off and do something dangerous. Would I get any warning for when that might be?"
"That's confidential", he replied smugly leaving the room again.