Wow, look at me! 2 chappies in 2 days :) good job with the reviews! keep 'em comin!

Finals suck, Tina thought in disgust as she slammed an art history textbook shut. She glanced at the calendar, to remind herself that they would be over in just two weeks.

"Aaaannndd IIIIIIIIIIIII will always love YOUUUUUUUUUU!" Abby belted at the top her lungs from the shower. Tina shuddered. Abby had many talents, but singing was not one of them. Tina resisted the urge to fling the door open and yell at her for disturbing her studying, but she wasn't getting anything done anyway. She sighed and decided to work on her final project for the Human Expressions class she was taking. She spread the sketches she'd selected as possibilities out on her neatly made bed. There was Abby, making a disgusted face as she was tricked into brushing her teeth with shaving cream. Her mom, frowning in concentration. Her other roommate, Emma, screaming as though the world would end. (She had run out of mascara.) And there was Steve, leaning against the railing in the park, longing for god knows what. Tina had tried to pick unconventional expressions so that her piece would stand out. She knew that the professor would get pretty sick of the same smiling portraits. Tina lifted the sketch of Steve and traced his face with a fingertip. He'll be home tomorrow, she reminded herself, attempting to push the worries out of her mind. Tina put the chosen sketch on a stand and started painting the fresh canvas set up on her easel.

…

It was Friday. It was Friday afternoon. Wednesday had come and gone and Steve wasn't back yet. He couldn't call her when he was on a mission, either. So she had no idea what was going on. He could just be delayed for some dumb reason. Or in mortal peril. Tina drummed her fingers on the desk in front of her, not hearing a word her professor said.

She was not an obsessive girl. She didn't sit around thinking "I will just die if I don't see Steve every single day." Did she enjoy seeing him often? Yes. Could she live without seeing him for a week? Certainly. She was a twenty two year old woman, not a whimpering teenager. What she couldn't deal with was the growing likelihood that her worries were true. Tina shook her head and tried to concentrate, but the what ifs were circling persistently around her mind. What if he's really hurt? Or got hit in the head and has amnesia? Or needs surgery? Oh god…what if he got kidnapped? Or tortured? What if someone shot him? He could be...dead. Tina sucked in a deep breath and ended the thought there. She could hardly even think the word, much less have to deal with it. Soon, she became conscious of something tugging on her arm.

"Hey. Chris? Helloooo?" Abby pulled on her, "Get up! Class is over. Unless you feel like sitting here." Tina mechanically packed her things and left with her friends, but her mind was miles away.

…

The tiny cave was jam-packed. The freezing rain was relentlessly pouring in sideways, something that even the God of Thunder couldn't seem to stop. It was bitter cold, and although it didn't seem to bother Tony in his suit or Thor; Bruce, Clint, Natasha, and Steve were feeling it. Steve especially hated the cold. It reminded him of that horrible feeling of slipping into ice-cold darkness he felt while he was, as Tony often said, a 'Capsicle'. Steve would have loved to be anywhere but this horrible, cold, wet, dark cave in rural Russia. Really. Anywhere. They were surrounded on all sides by enemies with the last vestiges of the Hydra weapons, and it was going to take SHIELD another twelve hours to get there.

It was a horrible night all around. Steve stared at his watch for most of it, realizing that they weren't going to be home until Friday, earliest. He wondered if Tina would worry. A small, selfish part of him almost hoped she would. It wanted her to care about him like he would care about her. Steve wanted to cry. He wanted to sleep. He hadn't had a moment of sleep in the last fifty hours and he was tired and cold and miserable. But he didn't do any of that. The captain had a job to do.

"We've got the go, SHIELD's here," Tony stated suddenly, after receiving the call. Steve scooted (with difficulty) to the back of the cave and woke the rest of the team.

"Bruce? Hey, Brucie. Good morning," he said. Bruce lurched forward, glasses crooked and hair sticking up. "Feelin' angry today?" he asked gently. Bruce nodded with understanding and scuttled out of the cave, almost immediately becoming the Hulk as the rain and bullets pounded down on him.

"Go! Go! Widow and Hawkeye, to me! Stark, get the distance guns! Thor and Hulk, take out all vehicles!" he shouted as the team streamed out into the center of the valley. They were literally in a hole. All around and above them, gunmen lined the crater lip. "Attack plan two beta charlie! Go!" Thor flew directly up, disappearing into the night as Tony turned on his hand-blasters and spun like a top, taking out the men on the lip. The Hulk jumped up the side of the crater and began ripping apart the tanks, while Thor smashed up the helicopters above. Steve covered Natasha and Clint with his shield until Tony swooped down and pulled the pair of assassins up, depositing them on the ground with the enemies where they wreaked havoc. Steve stood alone in the center, deflecting beams of light to hit other men. He hated seeing the old Hydra gear out again. It made him sick. Thor came and lifted him out of the pit as the Helicarrier came into view. "Now!" Steve signaled to Thor. Thor dropped him, and Steve flipped midair to land on his feet. The captain threw his shield to the right, dropping at least six men. He dove to the left, dodging a blast from one of the rifles. Steve gasped in pain as he caught the edge knife against his head. He ducked and seized the man's foot and threw him at his comrades, taking them out. The supersoldier caught his shield again as it ricocheted off a nearby tank. He jumped to the top of the tank to take stock of the situation. What he saw did not make him happy. It was going to be a long night.

…

Tina drudged down the front stairs of her school, mind still occupied with worries.

"Hey, Chris, is that…?" Emma trailed off and stared at the bottom of the steps. Tina followed her gaze, and there he was. He was wearing his leather jacket that she loved, leaning against his red motorcycle. The wind tousled his neatly cropped golden hair and he smiled up at her, blue eyes winking in the sun like gems. Tina dropped her bag and sprinted down the remaining steps, jumping into his open arms.

"Steve," she whispered, holding him as tightly as she could. Tina was so relieved and overjoyed; she just couldn't get any other words out. "Steve."

"I missed you, beautiful," he said softly in her ear. Tina felt the warmth of his cheek flush after his words and she kissed him gently. He laced his fingers in her hair, and she momentarily was astounded by the fact that he could support her entire body weight in one arm. That thought quickly was drowned in his tender kisses. Tina pulled back to look into the eyes she'd missed so much.

"Steve!" she gasped, unable to believe what she hadn't seen before. There were minor scratches and bruises all over his arms, and she was willing to bet they extended to the rest of his body, too. But the most shocking wound was a long, bloody scratch on his left temple that traced the side of his face down to his jaw. She raised a trembling finger to the laceration. Steve shrugged, uncomfortable.

"You shoulda seen the other guy." Tina shook her head in disbelief. How on earth could he be that stubborn? Does he realize how bad this cut looks?

"I thought I told you to be careful," she admonished, "And not to be a hero or anything." Steve grinned and kissed her cheek.

"The uniform makes that kind of hard." Steve's grin was wildly contagious; Tina soon found herself smiling with him. She wiped the smile off and arranged her features in an expression of mock seriousness.

"You're late," she reprimanded. Steve's expression was at first one of surprise and confusion, but it melted into a slight smile. He closed his eyes and chuckled under his breath. Although his reaction confused her, Tina wrapped her arms around his neck again. "I'm so glad you're home," she whispered. Steve was content to hold her there forever, snuggled in his arms, until he realized they had an audience. Tina's friends stood a few steps up, staring and giggling. He was unable to stop the blush that came to his cheeks. Tina followed his look and matched his flushing cheeks with her own. Steve gave the gossipy crowd another look over.

"Let's go," he said to Tina, pulling a helmet for her out of the seat compartment.

"Where?" she asked as Steve adjusted the helmet on her head. When he was satisfied, he sat her on the back of the motorcycle.

"Anywhere we want," he responded as the bike roared to life and pulled them away. Tina wrapped her arms around Steve and let her head rest against his back. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat.

Steve smiled as the wind played with his hair and shone on his face. He felt Tina's arms around him and her head on his back. A warm feeling crept into his exhausted body, just from having her nearby. Oh no. I…I think I know what that is. The question is…do I tell her? Fear crept into the captain then. What if she doesn't feel the same way and I freak her out? What if she doesn't really even like me at all? If I tell her that I love her and she doesn't love me back…will it make our relationship weird? Steve consciously controlled his breathing. What would Bucky do? he asked himself. Steve thought deeply on his old best pal. Bucky would tell her right now. He'd say all the right things and she'd love him right back. A nagging worry voiced itself. But you're not him, it said nastily. You never say anything right. Steve shook his head and drove. A while later, he pulled the motorcycle over by Central Park.

They sat at the base of their favorite tree, watching the sun sink. Steve had his arm around Tina's shoulders, and she leaned her head against his side. If there's ever a moment to say it, it's now, Steve thought.

"Tina?" he asked.

"Mm?" she turned to face him. Suddenly, his courage deserted him. His heart started pounding. His tongue was dry and his hands felt sweaty. What if this is a huge mistake? Steve ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"Um…I…I was thinking a-about um…" he had no idea what to say. Steve took a deep breath and forced it out. "I love you." Whew. It's out. The momentary relief he felt was gone as he realized that Tina hadn't said anything yet. She stared at him with eyes wide. Then she smiled.

"I love you, too, Steve." A breath whooshed out of the soldier as he grinned. He kissed her sweetly, but then with more passion. Steve couldn't remember ever being happier. Even in the forties.

Next chapter a certain spy does some recon. Will she find what she's looking for? Is Steve going to come clean? Or have his cover blown?

Review! And just wondering, what do you guys think about chapter length so far? Reviewreview :) Thanks everyone!