Stella's POV
After another night seeking comfort in Rick's arms, I woke finding I had curled up around him, his grip keeping me secure. He still slept soundly, the effect creating more feelings deep inside my soul. His lips were parted, the sunlight sketching out his features; the strong jawline, the recently tanned skin of his face, pieces of dark blonde hair fell over his forehead, prompting me to run my fingers through it.
It was soft to the touch, and I combed through the short locks, resting my hand at the back of his neck, careful not to wake him. I moved my hand to his jaw, continuing the course to a bicep, feeling the muscle there. I traced over his tattoos, the featherlight touch causing him to shiver in his sleep. I froze, waiting for him to wake, but he sighed and managed to shift my body closer. I trailed my hand down towards his hand to link our fingers, brushing against his stomach. His breath hitched at the sudden contact; I pulled my hand back, letting him relax. I snuggled in his embrace to return to sleep, which lasted about a minute before his phone started buzzing on the nightstand.
He groaned and opened his eyes to answer it, flashing me a sleepy smile.
"Waller? What is it? Can't this wait? Fine. I'll come in and look at the file. What? No. No, you can't request that," he sighed and raked a hand over his face. "Okay. I'll bring her. We'll be there in 15 minutes," He ended the call and raked a hand through his hair, turning to face me.
"Waller wants to meet you. We should get ready. Be prepared for anything she may throw at you," he told me.
"Okay. Is everything okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. She wants me to look over a thing that could be a potential mission. Once we're done, we can grab lunch and see about getting you a new phone," Rick said. We dressed and left his apartment, riding down to his workplace. We pulled up to the gate, Rick showing his ID to the guard. He nodded, pausing to stare at me.
"She's with me. Waller's orders," Rick stated. The guard opened the gate, allowing us through to the parking lot. He parked in his designated spot, and we got out, walking inside.
"Welcome back, Flag. We've missed you," a tall guy with glasses greeted us.
"Thanks, John. This is Stella Walker. Stella, meet John Economos. He's part of the mission control team here," Rick introduced us.
"Pleasure to meet you," I said.
"You're the woman he brought back. But why…Waller wants to see her, right?" John stated. Rick nodded and led me to his desk where a file waited for him.
"She's gorgeous, Colonel. Do you know why Waller wants to meet her?" another voice said. A blonde female met my gaze and she smiled at me.
"No idea. Emilia Harcourt, Stella Walker," he answered.
"In that case, good luck to both of you," she said, walking away. Rick offered me his chair, leaning against the edge of his desk. He opened the file, pouring over the information page by page.
"Flag. I see you've brought your house guest as I've asked you to," a dark-skinned woman said. Though she was beautiful, she gave off a presence of "do not fuck with me". I gathered she must be his boss.
"I obey orders as they're given. Stella, meet Amanda Waller. She's in chard of running Task Force X behind the scenes while I run the missions in the field," Rick greeted her.
"Miss Walker. You must be quite something to capture our Colonel's attention. Though, I can certainly see why. A pretty face to go with the supposed power you possess. I wonder if you can charm anyone else into saving you. Or perhaps the plan was to seduce Flag and distract him from what's important," she said. I saw Rick's body tense at her words.
"Charm isn't part of my skill set. Taking on all sorts of pain is. It makes me wonder who hurt you if you love to instill fear into those who work with you. Who cause you so much pain to make you punish a good man for doing what's right?" I stated.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"I had friends back home who treated me like family. I had people in my life who didn't scare me. Rick has been nothing but kind to me and I'm glad to call him a wonderful friend. Then, I look at you and I hear the words coming from your mouth and all I see is pain. Maybe I can relieve some of it for you," I continued. I reached out to her, and she stepped back, flinching away from me.
"No need to be afraid Amanda. I won't hurt you. Well, so long as you don't threaten my friends," I stated. Silence filled the room, Waller looked at me, assessing my words and my ability carefully. Her lips curled up in a smile.
"Keep this one around, Flag. She cares about others. She cares about you and damn the person who tries to cause you harm. Including me," she said. She left the room, entering her office.
"I guess you have her approval. I wouldn't try that again, though. She might think differently next time," Rick said.
"I'm pretty sure I can handle her," I joked, tapping his foot gently. "Anyway, does that need a mission? Is it important enough?" He nodded and excused himself to talk to Waller for a few minutes. I struck up a conversation with Harcourt and John, getting to know some of the members of mission control a little better. They seemed delighted with me and when Rick returned helped to sculpt a plan for the upcoming mission. I offered some input going off things I learned when I was with the Avengers. We reached a stopping point and ran our errands. As we left the building, we didn't notice a person watching us from a distance. We wouldn't know we would be visited by an old friend.
Loki's POV
"I don't understand. What could be so important you have to leave for a few weeks?" Thor said.
"I'm looking into a case. A secret case. I don't want anyone else involved,"
"Loki, we might need you here. Let whatever it is go. Or at least let one of us go with you. What if you need backup?"
"I've got this handled," I snapped. I teleported out of the compound and began my journey to Louisiana. Stella needed to be found and with the new information Strange had unlocked within me, I followed my lead. Initially, I had planned on going down to the prison where he worked and questioning those he worked with. This was before I saw her walking down the street with the Colonel himself.
Stella appeared to be happy, but it could have been faked for him not to hurt her. I followed them, keeping my distance to see where they were headed. They led me to a sandwich shop and then to a store to grab a phone. I followed them to an apartment complex, staking out to see if a routine played out.
Once I found a pattern to how he lived and ran his life, then I could strike. I could rescue Stella and bring her home.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you from him," I whispered. I had seen how he touched her, how she had reciprocated. All a false pretense or so I thought. The truth would reveal itself soon and a realization would take hold in my memory. I kept watch for a few more hours, returning to a hotel to check in for two weeks.
Stella's POV – A few days later
Rick had left to go on the mission he was assigned to when I first met his boss. In the time alone, the nightmares would come and go, leaving me to deal with them myself. I longed for his embrace, even Harley's, but they were worlds away and I had to wait for their return. Another day passed and for that night, I ordered a pizza to eat. I had downed a slice when the door opened and in walked Rick. An injured and an exhausted Rick Flag.
"Stella," he said. He dropped his bag, closing the door with his foot. He strode to me and pulled me into a tight hug. He smelled of pine and smoke, the remnants of the mission lingering on his skin.
"Rick. I missed you. You're hurt. Do you want me to help you?" I greeted him.
"I need a shower first. Could you come with me? You don't have to join me, but I want your company," I nodded and followed him to the bathroom, talking to him while he scrubbed clean. He stepped out, keeping his back turned, while he wrapped a towel around the bottom half of his body. He turned to me, and I scanned over him, taking note of the cuts and bruises he had. Rick knelt before me, taking a hand in his. He placed it on a cut across his chest.
"Show me what you can do. Don't go into my mid. I don't want you taking on that pain. There were too many horrors, and I can't have you witnessing them," he instructed.
"Okay," I opened my ability focusing on his physical pain. Warmth flooded my body all the way to my toes, something I hadn't felt before. Usually there was a cold sensation, a distance with those I helped. I passed my fingertips over the cut, making it disappear as I drifted over to his arm to heal the cut there. I kept going until each bruise and each cut were erased from his body, until I trembled with fatigue. Rick scooped me up in his arms, carrying me to bed and quickly put on pajama pants. He climbed in beside me, cradling my body to his.
"Thank you," he whispered, kissing the top of my head.
"You're welcome," I said, drifting off to sleep.
Loki's Arrival
Loki's POV
Now was the chance to act. I had watched them until I could figure out when I could interrogate Colonel Flag. I waited until she left to grab food and made my way to the apartment. He shouldn't have taken my friend. She belonged with us. Who knew what he was doing to her?
Stella wouldn't be able to play along for too long. He could kill her, and I wasn't about to let that happen. I snuck into the apartment and made myself invisible until I launched my attack. I waited until the apartment door opened and Stella walked through, carrying food and drinks. Then I launched my attack.
Stella's POV
I went out to grab lunch for Rick and me. He had taken a day off to recover from the recent mission and I obliged wanting to spend time with him. I made a trip to our regular sandwich shop and ordered, carrying it back to the apartment. I walked in, drinks in one hand, the sandwiches in a bag on the other arm.
"Hey Rick. I'm-," A familiar person teleported in and pounced on Rick, throwing him against the wall. One hand had him by the throat, the other held a dagger under Rick's chin. Rick threw up his hands in a defensive move as I let out a scream and dropped our lunch to the ground.
"Loki, no!" I called out.
"Stella, stay back. I'm here to rescue you. He stole you from us. I'm bringing you home," Loki growled.
"Let him go. Loki, please. He didn't take me. He saved my life,"
"He tricked you. I should skewer him,"
"Maybe you should try talking to him first,"
"Hey, how about not stabbing me at all," Rick choked out.
"Don't worry. I won't let him do any such thing. Loki. Please, let Rick go," Loki turned to glare at me.
"He's held you captive. I won't let him have you any longer. I want to know why," Loki snapped. I approached my friend and wrapped my arms around his waist. I buried my head against his back.
"Loki, please listen to me. Rick is my friend. He took me in when Tony abandoned me. Let him go. He's all I have. Him and Harley. I need him, Loki. Please," I begged.
"But…"
"I'll let you into my memories. You can see for yourself," At that, Loki lowered his dagger and released Rick, who crumpled to the floor. I let Loki go and hurried to Rick, checking to see if he was okay.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know he was here," I told him. Rick held me for a moment before letting me help him stand.
"For the record, he's not all you have, Stella. I'm still here. Wanda, Nat, and Bucky are still here. Did you forget we're your friends too?" Loki said.
"I thought you all had left me. No one came for me. I didn't know you were looking for me. For all I knew, Tony could have spun some story about how I died or volunteered to leave," I snapped. Loki sighed and beckoned for me to come to him. Rick gripped my arm in warning, but I gave him a smile that said it was okay. I walked to Loki and nodded.
"Brace yourself. This might be unpleasant," Loki warned. I motioned for Rick to hold onto me and closed my eyes. I felt Loki's hand on my forehead and gasped as he the memory came rushing back, replaying in slow motion. It hit me full force and I slammed back, strong arms wrapping around me.
Loki's POV
I entered Stella's memory seeing what had happened the day she went missing. I watched it play out and anger surged through me as what Tony had done come to light. I moved on to others to make sure the Colonel hadn't hurt her. What I saw had me shocked, but he only showed her friendship and comfort. She was happy. She…was in love with him. I let go and let her relax. Stella's body melted into the Colonel's, his grip tightening a little. I watched him as he whispered comforting words to her, realized that he too was in love with her.
"You need to come home. Back to the compound. The others will want to see you. You'll need to explain what happened," I stated.
"I can't. Tony doesn't want me there," she said.
"Please, Stell. Wanda and Bucky need to see you. Natasha, too. You belong with us. I know how much this colonel means to you, but we need you,"
"As much as I want to, I can't. I-,"
"You should go back with him. Tell your friends your side of the story. Let them see you're okay," the colonel interrupted.
"Rick, I…I don't want to go. I can't leave you. You're…I'm home here," Rick is her home. She may fight against it because he saved her, but she loves him, I thought.
"Darlin', I know. I don't want you to go either. Listen to me. Loki is right. You should go back. Then you can return when everything's taken care of,"
"Thank you, Colonel," I said.
"His name is Rick," Stella Sighed and dragged a hand through her platinum locks. I'm going to regret this, I thought.
"We don't need to go right away. I'd like to see more of what goes on around here. I would also need to meet this Harley you spoke of. One week. Then you come with me. Both of you," I suggested.
"Deal," Stella agreed.
Stella's POV
The day after Loki arrived, Harley swung by the apartment to take us out around town. I messaged Loki to meet up with us, so he could get an idea of what she was like. He refused to use Rick's name, calling him Colonel instead. At one point, we went out for ice cream, and he sent Harley and Rick to grab it, wanting a private moment with me.
"When were you going to tell me you're in love with him?" Loki asked.
"I'm not,"
"Don't lie to me. I've seen how you look at him. How you touch him. You love him,"
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not…I shouldn't be. I've tried to talk myself out of it. It's only been a month and a half, plus he saved my life. But I have these feelings when he's around. Strong feelings. I feel safe with him. Rick doesn't fear me and…he's quiet," she admitted.
"He's quiet?" I asked.
"Normally, I can sense pain in others' minds. No one is completely silent. With him, there's nothing. Well, not entirely. After missions, he's torn. He's only let me in a little after those. Most times, he's quiet and I can relax. It's nice," she answered.
"You've got it bad for him. Tell him how you feel. I can bet he feels the same," She smiled, but shook her head. Unbelievable. Two fools in love, but both are afraid to admit it. They push it away thinking there is a reason why shouldn't be. Harley and the Colonel returned with the ice cream, Stella looping her arm with his, walking ahead of us, deep in conversation.
"You see it too, don't ya?" Harley asked.
"See what?"
"That they're in love with each other. They're both oblivious to the other's feelings, but we know the truth. Flag's too afraid to say something. He's under the impression, he has fallen too quick for her. He fell for his ex in the same manner, but Stella is different. She makes him happier,"
"He makes her happier too,"
Rick's POV
One day became four, then the end of the week arrived. It was time for us to go to New York. Stella was nervous to see her friends again and afraid to be in Stark's presence again. I didn't blame her. I was frightened as well; one, to meet her closest friends and two, I worried what Tony might do. Loki assured us he would protect her and even invited Harley along for the visit. Those two hit it off right away and I was curious about their relationship going forward.
On the plane ride, I linked Stella's hand with mine.
"Stella, everything will be alright. I'll be there with you. So will Harley. We have it handled. Even Loki agrees," I told her. She nodded and leaned her head against my shoulder. I released a breath and rubbed soothing circles into her hand with my thumb. The more time I spent with her, the more I fell for her. I only hoped for the best for her and for us.
Stella's POV
We landed. Loki led the four of us to a car. I clung to Rick's hand, adding Harley's to the mix on the ride to the compound.
"Darling, listen to me. It'll be okay. Wanda and Nat are greeting us at the front doors before we meet Bucky inside. We'll explain everything. Trust me," Loki told me. I nodded and prepared myself for what was about to happen at the compound. The car rolled to a stop at the entrance. I saw Wanda and Nat wave to us. We stepped out and strolled up to the doors.
"Here we go," I whispered.