Deep in the darkness, she was aware of something... alive. It wasn't an entity in its own right; it was less. Half to be exact. It lived somewhere so close that she could touch it if only she could move. She knew somehow that she needed it to be whole, to be who she was created to be. She didn't know who or what that was, but she knew this half-entity had the answers. In a distant corner of her mind, an image formed, one of a vial containing something that was taken from her. It glowed and undulated in the dark in the small chamber it was hidden in.
Jane opened her eyes as if she'd merely been resting them. The dream, or rather the memory had been visceral, and she swallowed at the ghost of something stuck in her throat. She blinked and frowned. How did she get to her bed?
She rolled onto her back and looked at the empty pillow next to her. Steve. He must have brought her here before he left and her heart sank a little. She'd very much hoped that he'd stay. She sighed as she sat up. She knew that he was the poster boy for moral character, literally. There was no way he would compromise her virtue, even though it was a forgotten concept, and he'd wait until he thought she was one hundred percent ready and okay with it.
She snorted a chuckle. Well, that day may never come, she thought to herself. Apart from the fact that he was who he was, he was entirely overprotective of her, especially from himself. She knew that the physicality of being with someone wasn't something he was very familiar with, but neither was she. She got up and made her way to the kitchen.
It was just after 03:00 am, and something on the couch caught her eye. She glanced back into the bedroom to see that Dog was buried under a pile of blankets in his bed. She squinted into the darkness as she began moving closer to the couch. Was that the blanket? No.
She stopped dead in her tracks when she realised it was Steve. He stayed. Her stomach did a triple axel into a double somersault but nailed the landing. She moved soundlessly to where he lay sleeping. His back was flush with the back of the couch, and his arm stuck out from beneath the cushion he'd stuffed under his head. His other hand rested in front of him. The blanket had slid off him somewhat. Jane began to pull it up as gently as she could to cover him again without waking him when she had a thought.
Biting the grin in her cheek, she sat down on the edge of the couch and manoeuvred herself, so she was facing him once she'd laid down. She very carefully lifted his arm and draped it over her waist as she slid closer. She nestled as close as she dared before she pulled the blanket up as far as she could, making a face at the effort of trying to stay quiet. She was quite out of breath once she was comfortable, but smiled at her propensity for stealth as she closed her eyes. His slow deep breaths warmed the crown of her head, and he sighed in his sleep. The unwavering, steady rhythm of his heart soon carried her off.
The early morning sun cast warm gold into the kitchen, glinting off various smooth surfaces. It was a few minutes before 06:00 am, and Steve felt very comfortable as he shifted slightly in his lightening sleep. He pulled the heat in his arms tight against him and breathed in the most comforting and delicious warmth. As he exhaled a low sound was drawn out of his vocal cords which brought him all the way out. His eyes blinked open, and with a shot of heat, he realised what was going on. His heart instantly exploded in his chest, and his body tightened. She stirred in his arms and he all but stopped breathing.
She took a deep breath where she was nestled in his neck and rolled away slightly, eyes blinking open lazily. It took her half a heartbeat to realise where she was and her eyes shot to his. A shy smile spread on her face.
Steve swallowed. "Good-mornin' Sunshine," he said, his voice tight. At this point, he was too nervous to move.
"Good morning," she purred, pulling herself closer if that was possible. Steve squeezed his eyes shut, trying to wrestle down the longing that was taking him over.
"Uh..." he began, "didn't I take you to bed last night?"
"You did," she sighed into his chest, driving him to a whole new level, "but I brought myself back."
"Why?" He questioned with a tinge of desperation in his voice.
She pulled away so she could look into his eyes and the sun caught one of her irises, making her pupil contract and illuminating every detail of the deep blue.
"I want to be where you are." She said earnestly, reaching up and tracing her fingers through his beard.
Steve's jaw clenched and a small frown sprouted between her eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked, concerned.
"Nothin', I, I just wasn't expecting to wake up with you... so close." He tripped over his words.
Jane ran her thumb over his lower lip and couldn't resist planting a kiss gently in its wake. She opened her eyes and peered into his before she kissed him again. He returned the kiss, but he was holding back, and she felt it.
"Why are you holding back?" she asked between kisses.
"I-I don't want to do anything that you're not ready to," he breathed, "and I've already lost control with you once."
She grinned as she remembered the elevator. "I didn't mind that at all," she purred.
"I just don't want you to regret anything," he said, pulling away slightly.
"The only thing I'll regret is not having more of you," she said earnestly.
She watched as he searched her eyes, and she could see he wasn't giving up any ground. She eagerly accepted the challenge.
Her other hand was pressed between them and she pulled back slightly to free it before reclaiming his mouth. He could feel her undoing the top button of his shirt, and he grabbed her hands. "Jane..." he breathed.
Her eyes flashed open for a second, and they were burning, he dared not stray there too long.
She surrendered the buttons, and he let go of her hands, satisfied that she'd given up.
"W-We need to..." he stammered as she left a trail of kisses down his neck and all the breath nearly left his body as he felt her hand move under the hem of his shirt and gently slide over the skin on his side. She watched his eyes close as he felt her hand travel up to his chest, and just as she reached the point where his top button was, she turned it around and ran her fingers down his chest and onto his stomach.
That was all Steve could handle, and his eyes snapped open, burning into hers. His hand ran up her back and deep into her hair. Pulling her into a passionate kiss as he pushed himself up, pulling her underneath him in one easy movement. He freed his other hand from the cushion, tossing it over the back of the couch and lowered himself onto his elbows. She took her chance and let both her hands roam under his shirt, drawing a low moan from him.
"Steve?" There was a knock on the door. "Are you in there?" It was Nat.
Steve pulled out of the kiss and stared longingly into her eyes.
"Jane?" Nat knocked again.
With a defeated sigh, he pushed himself up and off the couch, pulling his shirt back into place, his eyes never leaving hers. She sat up and pulled the blanket over her lap, biting her lower lip. He took a deep breath before he turned and walked to the door. His jaw clenched as he looked at the floor just before he opened it.
"Morning," greeted Natasha, a little surprised.
Steve just nodded and let the door swing open. Nat was doing her level best to keep the massive grin on her face in check, but his dishevelled hair, uncharacteristically untidy shirt and jaw clenching avoidance of her gaze told her everything she needed to know. She spun around and saw Jane sitting on the couch and raised her eyebrows at her.
"I sure hope I'm not interrupting anything." She crooned.
Jane failed spectacularly to contain her grin.
"As a matter of fact..." Steve started.
"How about some coffee?" Nat interrupted.
Sam walked in. "Well hello." He said, taking one look at Steve. "I guess it's good mornin' to you Cap," he bellowed, saluting Steve.
Jane could see that Steve was mortified and she got up, tossing the blanket to one side and walked over to where he stood. She took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his and it made him look at her.
Nat and Sam watched the gesture, slack-jawed. Sam was about to throw another jab when Jane looked right at him and sternly commanded, "don't push it," and he raised his hands in mock surrender.
"I'm going to take a shower," said Steve.
Nat and Sam snickered as he left.
"You are so bad!" laughed Jane, smacking Sam on his arm.
"Tell me you rounded second base, at least?" Sam continued his onslaught.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Jane over her shoulder as she disappeared to take a shower.
It was just after 11:00 am and Jane, Sam, Nat and Steve were pouring over the kitchen counter strewn with maps, tablets and papers. They'd decided that Nat and Sam would take the same route they were planning to take further south in their search for Chitauri weapons smugglers. It wasn't going to be a walk in the park and the jest of earlier that morning was all but forgotten.
"I think you should take a more direct approach." Said Nat to Steve. "If you fly straight to Cape Town and drive up to the Cradle from there, you'll blend right into the pattern of the average tourist."
Jane frowned over the map. "I agree with Nat." She said flatly.
"It's not the safest way to go." Said Steve.
"Dude, what's gotten into you?" shot Sam, "'the closer you are to danger the further you are from harm', you said that to me less than six months ago."
"Things have changed." Fired Steve.
"You mean I'm with you." Interjected Jane.
"Yes, you are, and it's my job to keep you safe."
Jane rolled her eyes. "We'll go the more direct route."
"Jane," Steve began to protest.
"You can't do this without me, and I'm going the direct route." She retorted. "I know this is hard for you, but we need to get to that box as soon as possible, they should not have kept digging there, and if what's down there wakes up before we get there, it's over."
"Woah Woah Woah," bellowed Sam. "Do you know about this?" He asked Steve.
"She showed me some of it." He replied.
"I had another dream last night." She offered. "There is a vial with or in the box, somewhere, I need to get it, it's the only way I'm going to know who I am and what happened to me and I fear it's also the key to stopping whatever is in the earth."
"What's in the vial?" Natasha beat Steve to the question.
"I think, it's me," said Jane and they all frowned. "At least, a big part of me or what I'm supposed to be."
Steve didn't like this.
"We can't waste any time," said Jane.
All four of them looked at each other.
"Well, I guess that settles it." Said Nat, folding up the map and stuffing everything into a backpack. "We've got to get going, or we'll be late for the meeting."
"You go on ahead," said Steve, "we'll catch up."
Sam and Nat exchanged a loaded glance. "Okay," agreed Sam, before both him and Nat disappeared out the door.
A heavy silence hung between Steve and Jane, but it was Steve who spoke first.
He closed the distance between them. "Jane..." he struggled with the words. She hadn't looked him in the eye.
"I care very much about you and the things I do or don't do are all to keep you safe."
She met his eyes. "I know they are," she said softly, "but at some point, Steve, you're going to have to trust that I can stand on my own."
"I do." He said, "I know I can trust you to do that, it's everything else out there that I don't trust."
"That's okay." She said, running her fingers through his beard. "That's a given. All we can do is our best."
He took her wrist gently and pressed a kiss in the palm of her hand. There was a look of profound sadness in his eyes, and she knew that what he was terrified of, was losing her like he had all the other people he loved.
"Hey," she said. "I'll make you a promise."
He frowned slightly.
She stood back and squared herself in front of him.
"I promise you, that whatever happens, whatever comes our way, I will find you and find my way back to you, no matter the cost."
Her words struck him to his core.
"Are you sure that's a promise you can keep?"
She knew that a promise made to this man was one you kept, even if it killed you.
"I am."
He closed the distance between them and put his hand on her cheek.
"No recklessness and no being a hero," he added his caveats.
She smiled a small smile up at him. "If you can promise me the same thing."
He frowned as he thought about the possible implications of her promise, and she could see resolve strengthen in him.
"I promise."
She stretched up to kiss him, and he met her halfway.