Author's Note: What, you guys don't like cliffhangers? Okay, I admit, that was pretty evil. I promise to make it up to you though! Thanks for your comments!
Alright, next hint. Since A Game of Winter doesn't have much of a plot yet, I will give you a hint about my 1940s fanfic which will be coming out in between this one and the next. It is called A Game of War and starts out with pre-serum Steve. We get to see a lot of the Howling Commandos missions, and Bucky will play a prominent role! (Oh, I just realized I haven't designed a cover for that one yet! Oh boy, I love photoshopping covers!)
So this has nothing to do with this story but I just have to share because I'm so excited! I got this new archery target at Walmart today that is a big foam block with targets on either side! I'm so excited to try it! Much better than the file box stuffed with insulation with the hand-drawn target taped over it! My arrows kept going through a big hole in the middle today and hitting the metal lawn chair backing the box. That resulted in a loud noise and two blunted arrow tips. I also lost a fletching... Sheesh. But I did do pretty well otherwise. Not as well as Clint by any means. Maybe someday...
28 – Recovery – June 19th, 2012
Aspen's eyes fluttered open. The steady beep of a heart monitor filled the air, and she realized right away that she was in a hospital room. The second thing she noticed was Steve sitting slumped next to her in a chair. His head was on his arms which rested on the side of the bed. He looked exhausted. He'd changed into a different shirt, but his hair was a mess. He'd never looked so beautiful to her though.
"Finally," a voice said from the doorway. Aspen looked up to see Clint leaning there. He looked equally haggard, his eyes rimmed with red, his shoulders slumped. "Thought you were a goner for awhile."
"Yeah, well you did a pretty good job of trying to get me killed." There was a tense silence, and then Aspen smiled. "But I still love you anyway."
She saw the tension leave Clint's shoulders. "I am so sorry, Aspen," he said. "I never meant for you to get hurt but what do I expect when I arrange impromptu, ill-planned missions like this? Fury's going to have my ass."
"I'm sure it will make a nice addition to his collection," Aspen said with a smirk.
"SHIELD came and picked up the artifacts and took Wagner. He wasn't happy to see them."
"And Barney?"
Clint frowned. "Gone. Vanished." He sighed. "This was all a very bad idea."
"We all have them. Remember the time I invited a demi-god home and then forgot to mention it?"
"Only too well."
"We'll find him."
Clint looked up at her in surprise. "Really? You're still in even after he shot you?"
"Of course. He's your brother. I mean, clearly he has some memory loss issues he'll need to sort out, but still."
"You don't have to do that, Pen."
"I know, but I want to." She gave him a smile. "Now go get some sleep, you look terrible." She made a face at him which he returned with a shake of his head.
"Glad to have you back," he said before leaving the room.
Aspen looked down at Steve and ran a hand through his hair. It was soft and slightly damp as if he'd just come out of the shower. He stirred as she touched his cheek. He looked so young when he slept, not that he looked old when he was awake but rather his eyes held so much certainty and experience that Aspen couldn't help but remember all he had been through already in his life. Now he looked like a simple twenty-six year old man and not the Super Soldier who had lived through World War II.
His eyes fluttered open, and he lifted his head to look at her. The life that lit them up when he saw that she was awake made her heart give a happy jump. "You're awake," he said groggily. "I was so worried. I thought I'd lost you."
"Not that easily," Aspen told him. "A bullet isn't enough to stop me." She gave him a smile. "You look exhausted. Have you even slept before just now?"
"I did for a few minutes in the waiting room when the doctors wouldn't let me stay here. Otherwise I've been here waiting for you to wake up."
"I'm sorry I scared you," she whispered. "I heard your voice, you know. It kept me going."
Steve took her hand, and his warmth spread through her. "I thought I was going to lose you without having said goodbye or telling you how much you mean to me," he said, and she could hear the heartbreak behind his words. "I thought I was never going to get the chance to tell you that I love you," he added softly, looking straight into her eyes.
For a moment she couldn't breathe. "You-"
"I love you, Aspen," he said without blushing, though the warmth in his eyes made her flush.
Her face broke into a smile. "Will you kiss me now?" she asked. He smiled back at her and leaned down to kiss her, a soft, lingering kiss. "I love you too," she said against his lips.
…
As it turned out, Aspen had been asleep for a full day. The painkillers kept her sleepy but the only pain she could feel was a slight soreness in her side. She asked Steve when they were going home, and he told her soon. The bullet wound hadn't hit anything vital, but she needed rest to heal. She just longed to be back home in her apartment. She'd finally insisted Steve go get some proper sleep and though he'd argued he wanted to stay, she'd finally won. She'd fallen in and out of consciousness, somewhat aware of nurses coming to check in on her every once in awhile. Finally the next morning her bandages were changed, and she was given a clean set of clothes to wear.
"Rest and recovery is what you need," the doctor told her. "No more running around and getting shot."
Aspen smiled. "I'll try to keep a low profile," she said.
"Perhaps a short holiday is in order," he suggested.
"I'm not sure I know what that word even means," Aspen said with a sigh.
When Steve and Clint came to retrieve her, they both looked better rested. Clint's face was still a mess, but it lit up in a wide smile when he saw her on her own feet. "You don't look half bad," he told her.
"Better than you."
He pulled her into a hug, careful not to squeeze her side. "Good to have you back, Pen."
"Good to be back among the living."
Steve put an arm around her uninjured waist to help her out of the room. His shield was strapped on his back, and he was once again dressed in his mission clothes though any blood had been washed out of the shirt.
"Thank you for everything," Aspen said warmly to the doctors and the woman at the front desk. "I owe you my life."
"A pleasure," the doctor said. "Goodbye."
As they came out onto the street, Aspen noticed that the people around them stopped to stare. They began to whisper, and she heard the words "Kapitän Amerika." She smiled.
"So much for keeping a low profile," she said to Steve.
"I think we might have blown that when we came running into town carrying your bloody body," Clint said.
"Yeah, I can see how that might have drawn a crowd."
A few of the people waved, and Aspen heard another set of words whispered. "Madam Amerika." She didn't need a translator to understand those words. She looked back in surprise at the woman who had uttered those words. The woman smiled and waved. Aspen gave a shy wave back.
"Do you hear what they're saying?" Clint asked. "They just called you 'Lady America.' You're a hero now too." He was grinning.
Aspen rolled her eyes. "Please," she said. "I'm hardly worthy of a title." She would never tell Clint, but secretly she was pleased by the name. Lady America. She could live with that.
…
She slept for most of the ride, huddled under a blanket on the quinjet seats, her head in Steve's lap. The residual effect of the painkillers made her sleepy though she was tired of sleeping. The next thing she knew when she woke up was that she was in a bed – not her own though. The downy white sheets were crisper and smelled sweetly of lemons and vanilla. Light streamed into the room from a huge picture window. Cream sheer curtains waved in the breeze of the open window. For a moment she thought perhaps she'd died after all, but then she heard someone approaching. She turned her head and saw Steve entering the room carrying a paper bag. He smiled when he saw she was awake and set the bag down on a little table across from the bed. He came over and sat next to her.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Fine. Where are we?" She sat up, wincing as her side twinged a bit.
"Well, Clint insisted that you needed time to recover and that he owned us a huge favor after the way things went in Austria. So he paid for a room here. We have a couple days, and then we'll fly back to New York."
"Where's 'here' though?" Aspen peered out the window, but all she could see was the morning sun.
"Paris."
"Paris?" She turned and looked back at Steve. "We're in Paris as in France?"
He nodded. "He also mentioned that this was part one of an extensive birthday plan he has for you. Although he said the rest would have to wait until he sorted his mess out."
"Is it the 21st?" Aspen asked dazedly. She hadn't even thought about her birthday considering the chaos that had taken over their lives the past few days.
"It is. I got you something." He handed her a flat box that had been resting on the nightstand.
"You didn't have to get me anything," she protested.
"I wanted to. Open it."
She tore at the ribbon and then the paper wrapping. When she pulled the lid off the box, she found a small sketchpad and a set of drawing pencils.
"You were talking about wishing you had time for hobbies and I remember you mentioning wanting to learn how to draw, so when I saw this…"
"It's perfect!" Aspen said, pulling the pencils out to study them closer. "Thank you." She set the box back on the table and pulled him closer to kiss him. His skin was soft under her hand, and she felt the warmth of the sun on it.
"You're welcome," he said when they pulled apart. "I also got you a pastry from the market. I thought you might be hungry."
He grabbed the paper bag and handed it to her. Aspen grinned. "Breakfast in bed in Paris? I feel spoiled." She pulled out a flaky croissant that was still warm. "Did Clint go back to New York?"
"Yeah, he said something about needing to plead for forgiveness on his knees. I'm thinking Fury isn't too happy with him right now."
"I'm sure he's not. I just hope he won't keep Clint from going after his brother again. If he was my family I'd never give up."
"I'm not sure what will happen," Steve said. "Either way, I don't think he's going to be leading us on missions anymore."
"Really?"
"He didn't seem to think so. It sounded like he was going to petition to Fury to let him go after Barney again."
Aspen sighed. "This really did turn into a huge mess. He and I both seem to have an affinity for causing messes."
"But you're also good about cleaning them up." Aspen laughed. "What?" he asked with a smile.
"I'm just picturing handing Loki a broom and telling him to clean up New York." Steve chuckled at this. "So do I get to get out of bed or am I supposed to stay here until I heal?" she asked when she'd finished the croissant.
"The doctor said your wound was healing nicely. I don't see why you couldn't walk around a little as long as you don't overexert yourself."
"I want to see the city," she told him. "I'll be fine."
"Okay then." He stood. "I'll give you some time to get ready." He stood, and Aspen pushed the blankets back, carefully heaving herself to her feet. Her side was still a bit sore, but she was determined not to let that keep her bed-ridden. She grabbed a spare pair of clothes from her bag and entered the huge bathroom.
Ten minutes later she was clean and dressed in something other than her mission clothes. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail. It had gotten longer in the last few months, and the blonde was beginning to fade. She looked pale, but she had lost a lot of blood in the last few days. She rubbed her cheeks and left the room. Steve was standing by the window looking down on the city. On an impulse, Aspen came up behind him, putting her arms around him and resting her head against his back. He tensed for a moment but then relaxed.
"Last time I was in this city was during the French Resistance," he told her. "Which really dates me."
Aspen laughed. "You know I don't hold that against you," she said. "Remind me again what the Resistance was. It's been awhile since high school history."
"During World War II the Germans occupied France. The Resistance was an effort to help the Allied army from behind the enemy line and to work against the Germans to free their city."
"Did you help free the city?"
"Well, not just me," he said. Aspen rolled her eyes at his modesty, but smiled. "The Invaders and I helped in August of 1944 when the Resistance came to a head. In the end the Germans surrendered, and Paris was liberated."
"That sounds exciting. I mean, you got to live some of these things that my generation can only read about in textbooks."
"It wasn't all excitement. A lot of good people died. A lot of innocents."
"Of course." Aspen moved so that she was next to him, keeping an arm loosely around his waist. "I can't even imagine how frightened the French people would have been to have their city occupied by an enemy force like the Nazis."
"They fought back in their own ways. Underground newspapers and guerilla warfare. They didn't just sit and take it."
"Will you show me some of the places you were back then?" Aspen asked.
Steve smiled and put his arm around her waist. "Of course."
…
"The Germans surrendered here," Steve said, pausing as they passed a beautiful hotel fronted with a line of archways and built of a sandy brick. "Hôtel Meurice. In 1944 it became headquarters to France's military governor who disobeyed Hitler's orders to flatten the city."
"Were you there for that?"
"I was."
"It must be so strange coming back after all this time."
"A little. Like the rest of the world it's changed." His blue eyes were distant, and she saw some regret reflected there before he turned back to her, smiling. He hid his emotions well, but she knew he was still adjusting even after three months of living in the 21st century. It would take years, she knew. Even then he'd still have that little bit of loneliness knowing that no one else could relate to what he'd been through. She entwined her fingers in his and smiled.
"Let's go see the Eifel Tower," she said. "And maybe get some lunch."
He nodded, the sadness clearing from his eyes. She noticed though that as they walked away, he glanced back at the hotel as if he was leaving a part of him behind.
…
The view from the top of the Eifel Tower was breathtaking beyond belief. Aspen couldn't take in everything fast enough. "I want a picture of this," she told Steve, pulling out her phone. "Of us." He put his arm around her as she snapped a shot of them. When she looked at the picture, she saw that her face was practically glowing. They looked so happy, so normal. It surprised her that they – Captain America and a smuggler turned SHIELD agent – could look so normal smiling brightly with the city of Paris behind them. She felt a surge of excitement. This was one of those moments she wanted to remember always. A moment when she had no fear of danger, no spark of unhappiness. She couldn't remember another moment quite like it.
"I can't believe we're standing here," she told Steve, walking over to the edge of the observatory. "It's surreal."
"It seems like since we met it's been excitement after excitement," he replied.
"New York, Portland, Iceland, Austria," Aspen listed. "I think we went on one date in that amount of time."
"Well consider this our second date," Steve said.
Aspen noticed several girls over his shoulder looking eagerly over at them. She gave Steve a sly smile. "Fan girls six o'clock." Steve frowned. "Don't look at them. Maybe they'll go away."
Steve looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Aspen suppressed a giggle. She shouldn't take pleasure in his discomfort, but the way the girls were batting their eyelashes was hilarious. "Kiss me," she said suddenly. "Maybe they'll think you're someone else or get uncomfortable and leave."
Steve ran a hand nervously through his hair, but then put a hand on her uninjured waist and pulled her into a deep kiss. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She heard the girls behind them giggle, but she didn't pull away. Finally they broke apart and Aspen peered over Steve's shoulder. The girls had moved on. "They're gone," she whispered into his ear. When she pulled away, she noticed his cheeks were flushed. She smiled, liking that she had that effect on him. "And now we're alone," she added, gauging his reaction. He blinked and looked a little panicked. "Come on," she laughed. "Let's see the view from the other side." She took his hand, and he relaxed. She smiled to herself.
…
"That was the best birthday I've ever had, gun-shot wound aside," Aspen told Steve later that night as he came out of the bathroom dressed in his sleep clothes.
"I'm glad." He sat down on the bed next to her. "You deserved it."
"After my parents died, my aunt never made a big deal out of my birthday. Usually she was too drunk to even remember it."
"That's rough." He looked down at her, blue eyes sympathetic.
"I'm just glad those days are behind me." She stared up at the ceiling, feeling sleepy. They'd spent the rest of the day walking around or sitting in one of the beautiful parks in the city. Steve had sketched out a few of the scenes much to Aspen's delight. She'd even pulled out her own drawing set, but her pictures had looked laughable next to his. Tomorrow they were planning on visiting the Louvre before leaving the day after that. Steve turned off the lamps and lay down next to her. She felt comforted by his soft breathing next to her and the warmth of his body a few inches away.
"I gave the deed to the Sunflower House over to SHIELD," Aspen said after a few minutes. She hadn't had a chance to tell Steve her plans for her childhood home.
"Oh?" he sounded surprised.
"It's going to be a safe house so that no one ever has to feel as afraid as I did when we were on the run and my leg was injured."
"That's a great idea."
"My mom didn't like it at first. Said she didn't want SHIELD getting their hands on it, but it isn't for SHIELD, it's for people who need somewhere safe to go."
"Have you asked your mom if she'll work for SHIELD yet?" Steve asked her.
"I did. She said no, but I told her to think about it. Told her she could do a lot of good. I think she's just afraid that her work will fall into the wrong hands again. She still hasn't started looking for a way to get rid of the Superhero Serum. I keep asking, but she says she hasn't had a chance. I suppose everything has been chaotic, but I feel infected." She fingered the cuff around her wrist. "Even with this on."
"There's nothing wrong with you," Steve told her. His fingers touched her left wrist where the cuff rested. She took comfort in the touch. "You're perfect the way you are." He let his hand rest on her wrist, and Aspen felt herself drifting off, his words echoing in her head.