Unexpected marvel cameo in this one. I even surprised myself:D

Chapter 10

In the end the mission went smoothly. Natasha's hunch was right and they found Bowler's warehouse where he kept the Chitauri weapons. They waited until Bowler left to go to his grandmother and raided the place. There wasn't much weapons left but they found a list with all of his buyers so SHIELD could send special ops teams to retrieve them. One of Bowler's people grabbed a Chitauri weapon and gazed Steve's arm when he pushed Natasha out of harm's way. Natasha shot the man in the kneecap and he went down.

She was clearly mad at him that he took the hit for her but while the SHIELD team from Tuscon was loading the plane with the confiscated alien tech Natasha pushed the paramedic out of the way and took care of his wound herself. He almost felt sorry for the paramedic but he enjoyed Natasha taking care of him way too much. It wasn't deep and the wound would be completely gone in a few days without any scarring. He told Natasha so but she didn't seem to care and smacked the bandage with more force onto his arm than necessary.

"Don't do that again." She gruffed at him and checked if the bandage was secure.

"Don't do what?"

"Taking a hit that was meant for me. I'm not worth it." She didn't look at him but stared at his wound and traced the outlines of the bandage lightly with her fingers.

"Hey. Natasha, look at me." He tilted her chin and he was suprised that she let him. "You're my partner and I'll always look out for you. You are so much more worth than a scratch." He wanted to tell her more. He wanted to tell her how amazing she was, that he loved her and just the thought of her getting hurt was driving him insane. He would always protect her.

She poked his wound and he winched. "Seems more than just a scratch."

He knew he promised her that he wouldn't mention any possible romance between them but he really wanted to kiss her. And his hand was still under her chin, he moved his hand to cup her cheek and he was sure that Natasha leaned into the touch for a moment. But then the commanding officer of the Tuscon team called their names and the moment between them was broken. Natasha seemed to realize how close they were to kissing and turned on her heels and practically ran to the agent. Steve sighed and got up to join her and Agent Lance, they still needed to find Bowler.

Border control caught Bowler when he tried to get into Mexico and arrested him. Natasha escorted him on the quinjet back to the Triskelion while Steve still had to get his stuff from the motel and would later take a regular flight back to the DC.

The DoD asked him to train a few of their special forces and so he spent the next week at a military base in Texas. He couldn't stop the flashbacks he had of his training at Camp Lehigh. He missed DC and he missed especially Natasha. The soldiers were good men and he even met one of Sam's friends but he realized that the days where he felt at a home at a military base were over. He didn't need the Army anymore, SHIELD and Natasha were his home now. He had dinner with the soldiers at the cafeteria but after they were done he excused himself and went to his room. They reminded him too much of the Howling Commandos and Bucky. He checked his phone and saw that Sam sent him a text. They planned to go skydiving when he got back to DC and Sam texted him that his friend cancelled and if Natasha didn't want to take his place. Steve wasn't entirely sure if that wasn't Sam's plan from the beginning because ever since he met her at that café he was asking regualry about her but he didn't told Sam that. He actually really liked the idea, he could spend time with Natasha and she could get to know Sam better. He searched for her name in his contacts and sent her a text.

You wanna go skydiving with me and Sam this Saturday?

Her reply came twenty minutes later when he got out of the shower.

Since when do you use parachutes?!:P

He grinned. Natasha loved to use emoticons.

I don't think they'll let me jump out of the plane without one. You guys only let me do it because I outrank you.

He could see that Natasha was typing an answer.

Maybe they'll let you jump without it if you bring your shield:)

Do you wanna come with us? She still hadn't answered that question. He was almost sure that she would say no to avoid spending time with him. But Sam would be there as well!

I guess it's my duty to make sure that a senior citizien doesn't break his hip;) Text me the details I'll meet you guys there:)

He did so and added that he was looking forward to it. He was actually surprised she said yes.

You won't be saying that when I push you out of the plane:P

He laughed at her text and went with a really good feeling to bed. Only four more days until he would see her again. And Sam.

Sam picked him up at his apartment and they drove to the South Mountain State Park which was an hour away from DC. Sam told him that he asked out the girl that worked the desk at the VA and they would go on their first date tomorrow. Steve didn't miss the implied message behind it but chose to ignore it. He thought about telling Sam about Arizona but he didn't think it would have been fair to Natasha. She was a private person and he didn't think she wanted Sam to know about what happened between them or rather what didn't happen between them.

Natasha was already waiting for them at the small airport where the skydiving business was located. She was leaning against her corvette and sipping on one of those iced coffees she loved so much. She was completely dressed in black but wore sneakers instead of her favoured black boots. A guy was talking to her but it looked like she was ignoring him.

"Oh uh looks like someone's hunting in your territory." Sam laughed when he pulled up next to Nat's car.

"I don't know what you mean, Sam."

"Yeah, whatever man." He rolled his eyes and got out of his car.

Steve couldn't help but be annoyed with Sam and the guy who was obviously flirting with Natasha. He was kind of attractive if you were into that whole tall, dark haired guy kinda thing. And he looked rich, his clothes seemed to be pretty expensive.

Sam waved at Natasha. "Hey girl, great to see you again!"

"Hi Sam, Steve." She smiled briefly at them. She pulled a flyer out of her backpack and handed it to Steve. He didn't look at it yet but the innocent smile on her face already told him it was a joke at his expense. Skydiving for seniors- what you need to know. He rolled his eyes at her and she just smirked at him.

The tall stranger spoke. "Where are my manners. I'm Billy Russo." He shook hands with Sam and then with Steve.

"I'm Sam Wilson and well, this is Steve Rogers."

Russo stared at him and then he seemed to recognize him. He hated it when that happened. He only enjoyed it when it were little kids. "Oh wow, Captain Rogers! What an honor!"

Russo had something about him that reminded him of a soldier. "You served?"

He nodded. "Yup, ex-marine. I'm here with my guys for a team building exercise. I'm a military contractor now."

Natasha snorted but Russo didn't seem to notice it. She wasn't a fan of military contracting. And he wasn't either to be honest.

"Well, seems to be working well for you." Sam nodded at his Rolex.

Russo laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Never thought I would ever be able to afford such a watch though." Someone called his name and Russo waved at him. "I have to go. It was nice to meet you, Captain Rogers. And you, Mr. Wilson." He turned to Natasha and gave her a smile. "And it was really nice to meet you, Natalie. Here's my card. I hope to hear from you soon." He handed her his card and walked away. Natalie? Didn't he recognize Natasha from the battle of New York?

"So you wanna go in?" She pointed at the small building behind her.

Sam nodded and they followed her. Steve didn't miss how Natasha threw Russo's card into a trash can before she walked into the building. He tried to hide his smile but he could see out of the corner of his eye that Sam saw it and grinned at him.

They listened to the instructions even though all three of them jumped out of a plane more than once and Natasha complained about the pilot the whole flight. After they realized who he and Natasha were and they vouched for Sam, they were allowed to jump without their instructors. Natasha was a little show off and did a few saltos before she opened her parachute. He and Sam landed before her and Natasha somehow managed to knock him to the ground when she landed. He was flat on his back while she sat on top of him and laughed. She pulled the helmet off her head and the wind played with her hair. She looked so beautiful and carefree in that moment. He thanked his eidetic memeory because he already knew he would draw Natasha like she was right now tonight. She patted his chest and then got up and Steve immediately missed the feeling of her body against his. He glanced over to Sam who was giving him a knowing smirk.

They got picked up and drove back to the airport. Natasha suggested to grab a bite and they followed her car to a restaurant in the nearest town. Sam told them about his college days over steaks and fries and Steve even talked a bit about Bucky. Only Natasha didn't tell a story and he was reminded again that she was robbed of a normal childhood and youth. Did she even go to a school? Had sleep overs with her friends? Was crushing on a boy? Probably not. He hoped for those who put her through the Red Room that they were already dead. He wanted to slowly kill them and he knew he would enjoy every minute of it. His dark thoughts shocked him and he focused on Sam who told a story about a naked roommate that made Natasha laugh.

Natasha left shortly after they were done eating. He missed her company already. He would see her again on Monday at SHIELD but that was still over 24 hours ago. Oh god, he got it bad for her.

Let me know what you think.

And let's just say Steve doesn't have to wait until Monday to see Nat again;)