Interrogation

DarylDixon'sLover: Indeed it would be, but considering the gravity of the situation, it's not as easy as every other love story!

FanGirlForever19: I love how every in the comments is saying "PICK JAMES", but this chapter shows how difficult the decision may be. Either way, there are pros and cons.

Demigod-GallagherGirl: Hand squeezes are the best. Fun fact, my boyfriend and I used a little code of hand squeezes when we were first meeting each other's family. It helped us know if the other was anxious or nervous,so I like to think that Eliza and James are already to the point where they can easily read each other from small signs.

kuppcake: Oh trust me, she doesn't want to forget Bucky at all (I mean seriously, who would wanna forget him?). You're right that she's feeling very conflicted, though! After all, choosing him comes along with a lot of danger, instability, etc. And she's a grown woman, so I think she really does have a big choice to make if she wants that for her life or not.

After a few more hours, I crawled into bed. My room seemed darker than it used to, as if it contained more places for people to hide. A sleepless half hour passed before I caved, got up, rifled through my bag, and placed my gun on the bedside table. I went to bed that night feeling empty, wondering when I'd gotten so used to the comforting fact that James was right down the hall.

A few days later, I still hadn't made up my mind, and I knew only one thing would help.

"A car will be at your apartment in twenty minutes," Agent Coulson's voice intoned. "It'll be good to have you back, Miss Reynolds."

"Anything I need to bring?" I asked.

"Anything you think you'll need for the day," Agent Coulson replied. "We're rebuilding, Reynolds. You won't have your usual space."

"I figured just as much."

"Nineteen minutes, Miss Reynolds."

A feeling of familiarity swept over me as I began to rush around my apartment to get ready. I pulled out a duffle bag and began stuffing things in, ready to stay for a few days if I had to. My heart fluttered when I thought about being near James again, spurring me on to get ready even faster. After I zipped the bag shut, I fell back on my bed and closed my eyes.

I could see it, his face before me. His eyes shining bright, a wide smile on his face. I could even feel it- the cool metal of his hand on my skin, and the warmth of his other hand grasping mine gently. My eyes fluttered open. I had to see him. I had to talk with him about this.

I ran outside just as the car was pulling up. The window rolled down to reveal a surprised looking Maria Hill.

"You look excited for someone who fell off the face of the planet," she drawled.

"It's only been a few days," I retorted happily as I clicked on my seatbelt.

I caught sight of a smirk on her face in the mirror. "You haven't been dealing with restless superheroes. All of them have been asking for you."

My heart swelled, suddenly remembering Tony, Dr. Banner, and Steve. A smile stayed on my face the entire car ride, and even when I got on the plane amidst at least a dozen armed soldiers. I tapped my hands nervously on the arm rest, the flight seeming to last longer than usual. Did he know I was coming? Would he be there on the airstrip? Maybe he'd be busy training, and I could go down and find him in the gym. Part of me wished he'd be in his bedroom, that way we could at least talk privately.

My cheeks flushed suddenly. I knew that I wanted to do more than talk. But all that would have to wait a bit, at least until everything had calmed down. Maybe if I moved to work at the facility, we could get to know each other even better. My insides felt warm at the thought, and an overwhelming smile came back onto my face.

When we landed, my smile fell slightly when I couldn't spot him. Of course he wasn't there to greet me, he was probably busy. In fact, by the looks of it, everyone was busy. Construction machines filled the grounds, all putting the finishing touches on repairing any damaged parts of the compound. I noticed Ian by the tree line and waved, happy to see him smile back.

"It's good to see you again!" Ian said after he jogged over. "Everyone was so worried when we heard what was happening."

"It's good to be back," I replied, choosing to ignore the second part of his statement. "What are you working on?"

"Ah," he motioned to the edge of the compound. "New cloaking system. It'll make us practically undetectable."

I nodded, patting him on the shoulder. "Well, I won't keep you distracted. I've got an assassin to find, anyways."

Ian's faced dropped suddenly. "Oh, didn't they tell you? He-"

"Miss Reynolds!"

I turned to see Agent Coulson striding toward me, a large briefcase in his hand. I spun around to Ian. "Duty calls. I'll see you around!"

Ian only nodded in response, a confused look on his face as I followed Agent Coulson into the compound.

"You look excited," Agent Coulson commented idly as we walked into the building.

I took in the sight, suddenly struck with how much I'd missed this place. "Why shouldn't I be?" I asked with a shrug. "I'm glad to be back. You wouldn't happen to know where James is, would you?"

Agent Coulson opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off.

"This way, Elizabeth!"

I turned in the direction of the call. The former S.H.I.E.L.D. director stood in the doorway of a conference room, almost completely decked out in black leather. I approached him with confidence, shaking his proffered hand. "Director."

Fury shook his head. "Haven't been for several years, Reynolds. I'm just here because my people need me."

I nodded my head understandingly. We entered the room in tandem, Agent Coulson close behind us. I took a seat at the table, the two men choosing to sit directly opposite of me. Before I could get out a word, Agent Coulson slid a large file over to me. The terms of my employment.

My fingers rested hesitantly on the cover, taking in the opening words of the document. I scanned the first page before I looked up at them. "So, what does this entail?"

They shared a look before Agent Coulson spoke. "Full time employment, yearly salary, insurance, benefits, the whole nine yards. Your work with Rogers and Barnes showed signs of progress and promise, and we would like to continue that work. Dr. Banner also requested you as an assistant, but you can deny or accept that offer at a later date. For the time being, you would be assigned to our research department, as well as our health department. That way, you get access to Roger's and Barnes' files, in order to see if anything else needs to be addressed."

I nodded, my eyes wandering over the legal jargon curiously. There was one thing in particular that wasn't mentioned in the file.

Fury seemed to sense my silent question. "Your room will be a floor above the Avengers' residential space. You won't be far if you're needed."

My eyes brightened at that, a new smile coming onto my face. Their words spun around in my head, and I knew the offer was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "I'm definitely interested, but…" I trailed off, not sure if I should be honest or not. "…I want to talk it over with James, first. I want his opinion."

Fury and Agent Coulson glanced at each other, and a sense of dread washed over me. Fury sighed, one of his hands coming up to massage his forehead. "I'm afraid he's…unavailable, at the time."

I sensed there was something they weren't telling me, but I held my tongue. "O-oh, alright. Um…anything else I should know, then?"

Agent Coulson fixed me with a look. "As I'm sure you are aware, no one can know about the details of your job-"

"Of course," I nodded.

His gaze was serious. "That means no family, no friends, no anybody outside of this facility can be privy to what you're doing here. If anyone asks, you say you work for the government. That being said…" he trailed off, suddenly appearing less than comfortable. "Your…relationship with Sargent Barnes will be hard to keep from the public eye. I'm sure you've thought this through?"

I felt my mind halt in its tracks. He was wrong, I hadn't taken the time to think it through. Maybe it should have crossed my mind at some point in the past few weeks that I'd befriended a World War II veteran. Maybe I should have thought about the fact that he was a known killer, a man with a dark past. But that wasn't James, not the one I knew. The James I knew was warm and caring, protective and determined, shy and sweet. He wasn't his past, he was his future.

My posture straightened of its own accord, and my chin raised slightly. "No, I haven't thought it through. I'm not entirely what there is to think about. We've grown close in the past two months, and that's all there is to it."

Fury gave me a lazy look that I couldn't define. "So you think you two can just…" he motioned to the air, "go about your business like normal people?"

My confidence weakened. "…yes, yes I do," I replied. "Why shouldn't we?"

Fury leaned forward. "I think it's time you stop acting like this can be normal, Reynolds. You're asking to enter the world of gods and superheroes, aliens and androids. And if you're associated with one, in any sort of way, things will most certainly not be normal."

Agent Coulson cleared his throat. "You can't avoid the spotlight, Miss Reynolds. It's inevitable."

I sat back in my chair, their words slowly sinking in. I sat there for a minute before I stood up and walked toward the door. "I need to speak with James," I stated, hand reaching for the knob. "Where is he? I'm sure he won't mind a break from whatever he's doing."

Fury stood, and from the look in his eye, I knew I wasn't going to like whatever he said.

"He's on mission, Reynolds," Fury stated. "We needed a small contingency of agents to do a final sweep- make sure A.I.M. was out of the game for good. He was the first to volunteer."

My heart dropped, as did the determined look on my face. "Wh-What- since when…h-how long will he-"

"We don't know," Agent Coulson said. "As long as it takes. He left yesterday morning."

A crushing sensation of loneliness mixed with numb denial washed over me. I staggered back, my hand searching for the knob. When I finally found it, the door swung open suddenly behind me. I stared at the two men, both of them watching me closely.

"I-I'll get back to you soon," I stuttered. Then I walked away.