Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Marvel or any characters that you see in this story.
A/N: I am so very pleased with the response to this story! S/o to Rainbor123, EirLoki, Emerald Monkey, sailorraven34, jrocha374282, and NicoNepenthe. You guys are amazing! BTW this chapter will be in Olive's POV (as it will happen more often, why not start now?) and I will explain why I did this at the bottom. Thanks guys!
"Australia."
"Gwen."
"Florida."
"Marcie."
"France?"
"Renee'. Will you focus now?"
Olive could tell that Steve was smiling but he stopped naming off different countries and states and kept working the punching bag. She shook her head and focused on her sword strikes, though she couldn't help but glance over at the super solider. It was late, many of the other agents had left the compound to go home and rest or were sleep in her quarters. Steve hardly ever slept, Olive found out and more often than not her phone would ring, asking her if she were awake. More often than not, she was.
Two days ago, she had spilled her whole life story to him and he hadn't treated her any differently. She had expected him, like she expected anyone else would be if the ever found out, to be disappointed; she had left her family to die, had survived by becoming a thief, but he hadn't. They had danced under the stars and that had been . . . well, wonderfully unexpected. She supposed one thing had changed though; he said her name often, her real name. Not while in public, which she appreciated, but when it was just the two of them, he'd say it a lot.
Olive, Liv. . .
It didn't matter at all how he said it, he had a way of making her name sound so very important.
What was it that made her trust him so easy? There were people in S.H.E.I.L.D who had known her for the eight years she had been there and still didn't know her name but Steve . . . there was just something about him. She had done her research on him when Fury had told her to keep her company, but nothing could have prepared her for how amazing he truly was. It had been hard coming into the organization and not really knowing how to deal with people or talk to anyone. Coulson and Barton had helped a lot to break the shell she had built but it still wasn't easy to trust people. With Steve, it hadn't been hard, never felt fake, not even that first day when she had held out her hand and took him to the statue of liberty.
Why was that?
Olive looked up when Steve's punches started landing harder and faster. "Captain," she said, lowering her sword warily.
He didn't seem to hear her though, his strikes becoming more ferocious. She let the practice sword clatter to the ground as she ran to him. "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, Captain! Calm down!"
He was still out of it, his gaze intense on the bag but she could tell he wasn't really seeing it. His next strike knocked the bag clear off the chain, the sand spilling on the floor.
"Hey!" Olive leapt forward, her hands reaching up to cup his face. She forced him to meet her eyes. "Steve. Steve, can you hear me? It's 2012. S.H.E.I.L.D Base. . . . You're here with me, Olive May Warren."
Steve took a deep breath and his eyes regained their focus, meeting hers. "Liv?"
Olive smiled, letting her hands drop to his shoulders. "There you are."
Steve glanced at the bag and then back to her. "Sorry," he muttered.
"No, no, it's fine. It happens." It most certainly wasn't the first time. Olive thought it was probably related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which she would be surprised if he didn't have it; God knows she had suffered enough flashbacks to tell the symptoms.
At the door, someone cleared their throats and Olive looked over. Fury stood there, his good eye focused on them, his mouth set in a thin straight line. "Am I interrupting?"
Olive quickly dropped her hands, coming to attention, her face blank to hide her embarrassment. "No, sir."
"As you were, Agent," Fury said, with a wave of his hand and Olive let her hands drop, bending down to pick up her forgotten sword. She and Steve cast a glance at each other as he walked over to grab a new punching bag to hang on the chain.
"Trouble sleeping?" Fury asked, walking fully into the gym.
"I've slept for seventy years, sir, I think I've had my fill," Steve told him, as he lined up with the bag once more.
"Then you should be out celebrating, seeing the world."
The two friends glanced at each other again, the left side of Olive's mouth lifting in a slight smirk as she swung her sword around. Steve walked over to a bench, removing the tape from his hands. "I've seen quite a bit of it, sir. I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we've won. They didn't say what we lost."
"We've made some mistakes recently," Fury replied stopping just in front of them. He cast his eye downward. "Some very recently."
"You here with a mission, sir?" Steve asked standing.
"I am."
"Trying to get me back in the world?"
"Trying to save it."
Olive let the tip of the sword touch the ground. "Should I leave, sir?"
"No, Agent. You're going to be on this mission as well."
That shook Olive a bit. Since she had been joined S.H.E.I.L.D, she had been sent on a lot of sent on mostly solo missions, some espionage. This would be the first time she had been sent on a group mission. She walked forward as Fury withdrew a folder from behind his back, handing it to Steve and stood next to him, glancing over the contents of the assignment. "The Tesseract. . . ."
"Hydra's secret weapon," Steve muttered and Olive couldn't help but notice how tense he had gotten. She couldn't blame him; it wasn't every day you came face to face with the weapon that you nearly died for.
"Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you," Fury explained. "He thought what we think; the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs."
"Who took it from you?" Steve asked.
"He's called Loki. He's . . . not from around here. There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know."
Steve almost laughed. "At this point I doubt anything would surprise me."
"Ten bucks says your wrong. There's a debriefing package waiting for the both at you at your apartments." Steve nodded, closing the folder and reaching down to grab his gym bag. He started out of the gym, Fury turning to watch him leave. "Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now."
"You should have left it in the ocean," Steve replied as he pushed open the door. He glanced back at her. "Glitch. . . ."
"Yeah, I'll see you," she replied, knowing Steve needed some time to himself. Steve nodded and left, leaving Olive and the Director standing alone. She turned to the older man. "Sir?"
"You're wondering why I'm including you on a team mission," Fury answered. He looked over at her. "We're going to need all the help we can get, Agent. I understand it's not what you're used to but I think this will do you some good. You've been here too long to keep yourself out casted. Besides," he added when he saw Olive open her mouth to protest, "I believe having you there will the transition easier for him as well."
Olive's mouth snapped shut and she frowned. She wasn't quite sure what the Director was implying but she didn't think she liked it, even if he may have been right. There was no use trying to change his mind. "Yes sir. Who else will be coming in?"
"We've got an assorted team. Agent Coulson will be there to meet you and Steve at the Quinjet in the morning. Tony Stark or, as you may better know him as, Iron Man will meet us at the base. Agent Romanoff will be there as well with Bruce Banner."
"Natasha?" A slight smile came to Olive's face. "It will be good to see her. What about Clint?"
Fury turned to face her again, his face grim. "Agent Barton's been compromised."
Olive stared at him, waiting for him to explain more but he didn't. She would have to read about it in the debriefing package but it must be serious if Natasha was coming back for it. Fury noted the look on her face. "You'll understand that this mission is now of the topmost importance. No more solo missions, no more easy runs. This is the real deal. I'll be relying on to help out on this team for the time being and whenever you are called. Is that understood?"
The Traveler nodded. "Yes sir."
"Good. . . . You leave in the morning. Try to get some rest, Olive."
Olive nodded. She blinked and when she opened her eyes, she was standing in her room. Sighing she snatched up the debriefing folder, knowing she probably wouldn't be getting much, if any, sleep that evening. She stared at the grainy images of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner in all his formidable green glory, and read through their files on the iPad. The last image was a larger one and she could recognize the tunnels of what had been the Base in New Mexico. Barton was at the wheel, face stoic, eyes intense and burning bright unnatural blue. Next to him was an older man, his eyes the same color. It was the last man in the vehicle that really caught her eye, especially seeing as how he stared right at the camera as if he were provoking the viewer, daring them to take action. He wore strange clothes, almost regal but nothing she had ever seen before, a scepter in his hand, black hair streaming behind him as they sped past and out of sight, the hallway crumbling behind them.
She shivered, setting the iPad down. She was glad Fury thought she was ready for this, because she wasn't quite sure she agreed. Chewing the inside of her cheek, a habit she had picked up when she was younger, she laid back on her bed.
Her 'runs' as Fury had called them had never been easy but she had only needed to look out for herself, keep herself safe. . . . She hoped she could handle a team depending on her or, more honestly, she hoped she could make herself depend on them.
Steve will be there, she told herself as she closed her eyes. She could depend on him. That would have to work for now.
A/N: Whoo! Two in two days. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I really wanted to get an Olive P.O.V. just to give insight on her opinions, fears, and worries so that she wouldn't seem so invincible. We got a glimpse of that vulnerability last chapter while she told her story but I also want you to know that she isn't becoming dependent on Steve. He is one of the few people who she has ever felt comfortable enough with to trust with her background. Going on this mission by herself with the others wouldn't have been easy for her, as Fury sort of alluded too as she isn't very good with other people, despite her 'wildfire' personality. Mostly she's worried about failing the team but knows she'd do her best not to let Steve down. Hope that explains some things! Thanks again for reading.