Awakening Quake
By Misha

Disclaimer in Chapter One.

A.N- I'm back! Sorry for the delay, I just couldn't get a good idea for a party scene, at least not one that fit smoothly into this chapter, so I skipped it. I think I'm going to write one as a little stand-alone side story. This chapter is a mix of fluff and creepy. Sorry to bring down the fluff, but the combination just worked too well for me to ignore.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Love and Obsession

"That used to be a barber shop," Steve told Skye pointing to a small café. "And there was a small market, right over there."

They were having their day in Brooklyn. Walking hand in hand down the streets, as Steve pointed out the sites from his youth, though very little remained.

"Is it weird?" Skye asked him. "Seeing how much things have changed?"

"It was at first," Steve admitted, "And sometimes I feel like a relic, but I'm starting to feel like I was given a second chance for a reason." He smiled. "It's easier now that I know Bucky's all right."

Skye smiled. Bucky was slowly adjusting to life in the 21st Century and according to Steve, he was starting to act more like his old self. The Avengers hadn't decided what to do with him though. He would be an asset in the field, but there was the problem of HYDRA coming after him as well as the concern that S.H.I.E.L.D would label him a threat. For now, they were biding time and he was training with Steve and learning about the changes that happened over the last 70 years, but Skye had a feeling that a decision would have to be made soon.

"I got beat up in that alley over there," Steve said after a moment, a smile on his face, "and that one there. Probably on pretty much street in Brooklyn."

"That's hard to imagine," Skye admitted, looking at him. She'd seen the pictures of Steve Rogers before his transformation and she'd heard Steve and Bucky's stories about those days, but it was still hard to picture the strong, vital man beside her as a scrawny punk who didn't know when to run away.

"This is pretty hard to imagine," Steve countered, "If you'd told me then that I'd be walking through the old neighbourhood hand in hand with a beautiful woman, I'd have passed out. Not even touching the time-travel aspect. I wasn't exactly a hit with the ladies back then."

"That was there loss," Skye told him softly, "The serum made you taller, made you stronger, but it didn't change you. From everything I've read, everything Bucky's told me… You were just as amazing before you became Captain America." She smiled up at him. "I like to think that if we had met then, I would have seen it."

"I think you would have." Steve told her softly. There was a faraway look in his eyes and she knew he was thinking of Peggy Carter, who by all accounts had realized how special Steve was before he had become Captain America. "You have a knack for seeing the best in people, Skye."

"I'm not sure that's true." Skye said, shrugging off the compliment. "I just… I know what it's like to be an outsider and I guess it makes me sympathetic."

"It makes you special," Steve told her as they kept walking and then suddenly he pulled into her one of the alleys.

"I used to live here." Steve told her, he said, pointing to the old pre-war building. "You asked me if it was weird being back here. The answer is yes, not just because so much changed, but because it feels like it was another life. When I first woke up, I was still mentally stuck in the past, after all it still felt like the present for me and then I felt lost, a man out of time, but I don't feel that way anymore. Thanks to you, I'm looking towards the future."

Skye just nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the moment.

"This isn't the moment romantic setting," Steve admitted, "but it felt right." He took her hand in his and looked directly into her eyes. "Skye, I might be adjusting to this new time, but in a lot of ways, I guess I'm still old-fashioned and I believe that when you're in love, marriage is the logical step. I know we haven't known each other all that long, but it's been long enough to know that I want to spend the rest of my life making you smile. Will you marry me?"

"Yes." Skye answered, the words pouring out before she had a chance to think. But what was there to think about? She loved Steve with all her heart and she knew he loved her. After a life time of disappointments and feeling like she never belonged anywhere, she had finally found her happy ending. She had a purpose and a surrogate family with the Avengers and now she was going to get the happy ending with her very own superhero.

It was almost too perfect and the cynical part of Skye, the one that had been hurt too many times, wondered when the other shoe was going to drop. But as Steve leaned down and kissed her gently, it was easy to silence that part of her and focus on the moment.

0

Unbeknownst to Skye and Steve, they were being watched from a distance.

Ward seethed as he watched Captain America pull Skye in for a kiss. Skye was his dammit. He had to resist the urge to run in there now and claim her, but he knew that he had to bide his time.

Skye was obviously confused and hurt and obviously she had turned to Captain America for comfort and he had taken advantage of that. Ward knew how vulnerable Skye was, how desperate to be loved and that was why he didn't blame her.

Besides, whatever she thought she felt for Steve Rogers, it wasn't real. Ward knew that. Skye loved him and they were meant to be together, she was just confused…

Still as he watched them, Ward knew he had to move up his plans. He had to get Skye alone, away from the Avengers, and then once they were together… Well, everything would be ok. Surely, she'd remember then, how special it was between them.

The only problem was how was he going to get to her? He'd been so thrilled this morning when he'd seen her leave the building on her own, it was the first time he'd seen her up close since San Juan. He'd been so elated that it had taken him a moment to realize that she wasn't alone. Steve Rogers had been with her and that was when he'd noticed the entwined hands and his rage had started to build.

Still, he'd managed to keep his temped under control and his wits about them. He'd followed them from a discreet distance. Rogers had heightened senses, but there was a reason Ward had been a top S.H.I.E.L.D agent and he'd managed to blend into the crowd. Besides, the couple had been so wrapped up in each other, that they weren't alert as they should have been.

It had been torture for Ward to watch them, to see the easy way Skye had acted with the blonde man. The way she'd smiled at him and let him touch her. But he'd reminded himself that he and Skye had been part for a long time and that he'd found comfort elsewhere, so he couldn't blame her for doing the same.

Besides, they'd be together soon and when that happened, Ward was sure he could make her forget all about Steve Rogers. He just had to figure out how he was going to make that happen.

He hated to admit it, but he couldn't do it alone any longer. He was going to have to call in back-up. The question was, did he call the Doctor in, and deal with his very unpredictable nature, or did he look to other contacts?