Darcy and Nikita entered the apartment that JARVIS indicated had been set up for Nikita. It was on the same floor as Steve, but the AI assured Nikita that no one else had access to her apartment without her authorization.

The first thing they noticed as they entered was a large box on the table. When Nikita opened it she found a host of new blades which JARVIS informed her were made of a new high-tech alloy with almost double the tensile strength of her old knives and which would keep their edges permanently, there appeared to be an updated version of every blade she had.

There was also a new version of her staff made of the same alloy. It still expanded and retracted, but it was now capable of firing a series of darts which could do everything from explode, to tranquilize or shock. There was also a brand new StarkPad and StarkPhone, preloaded with the contact information of all the Avengers and Tower residents.

The last item in the box was a new tactical vest, with reinforced panels in the sides. It was made from the same polymer as Hawkeye's suit. While JARVIS didn't say, Nikita knew that these could only be from Tony.

After checking out the rest of the apartment, and putting the new gear in her bedroom, they headed over to Steve's apartment so that Nikita could gather her things.

When they entered the apartment, Nikita was surprised to find Steve waiting in the living room with another Dom. She recalled him from the HYDRA raid, Sam Wilson aka Falcon. It was pretty obvious they had been witting for her.

Nikita shifted forward and to her right, placing herself between Darcy and the Doms, in a move that was lost on no one. Darcy placed a hand on Nikita's shoulder and stepped around her into the room, greeting both Sam and Steve with a warm smile. "Hello boys! So Sam, are you here to help these two get their act together?" She asked him.

Sam stood and met her in the middle of the room, enfolding her in a hug. "Hey girl, looking good" he greeted her with a twinkle in his eye. "Yeah, I figured I'd come see if I can help."

"Good," Darcy said as they stepped apart. She turned back to Nikita. "Sam really helped me out a lot with Bucky," she explained. "He works with a lot of soldiers, both Doms and subs. He can help if you let him." Darcy headed towards the door. "I'm going to go check in on Bucky," she continued. "Good luck."

Nikita never took her attention from the Doms in the room, even as Darcy took her leave. She was uneasy about facing Steve after what had happened the day before. She wasn't sure how she felt about it all in the cold light of day.

Sam sat back down, and Steve motioned for Nikita to sit in the empty armchair across from where he sat on the couch. He and Sam had talked a lot this morning about what had happened yesterday and why both Steve and Nikita had reacted the way they did.

"I need to apologize to you," Steve began. He took a deep breath before he continued. "A lot of you reminds me of Bucky. My best friend was manipulated and forced to become a killer. When I found him he tried to kill me, Natasha, and Sam. He killed a lot of good and innocent people, and for a lot of reasons I felt responsible both for what he'd done and what was done to him. Yesterday I think I was reacting more to all of that than to what was actually happening. Tyler should never have touched you and you were within your rights to stop him. I should have listened to you first and for that I am very sorry."

Nikita looked at Steve quizzically. He was…apologizing…to her. In her entire life, she had never heard a Dom apologize to a sub, and certainly never to her. She thought back to what he had said yesterday, and she couldn't really even remember anything except his disappointment. She had already been unbalanced, and that had toppled her over the edge.

Realizing that they were waiting for a response, "Okay." She had no idea how she was supposed to react here.

Steve was listening to the bond inside his head as hard as he could. He could sense her confusion, but he was encouraged that he wasn't sensing any fear. Most importantly, there were no signs of that all-consuming rage or blank emptiness from yesterday.

"If Nikita had used her safe-word or told you yellow or red light, would that have helped?" Sam asked Steve. Even though he was pretty sure of the answer, he wanted Nikita to realize that she had power and responsibility in this relationship as well.

"Yes," Steve answered. "I didn't realize that she was at a breaking point until it was too late." Turning back to Nikita he asked, "Can you tell me about what happened yesterday? On the feed I heard Clint ask if you knew where you were and I don't think you did."

Nikita wasn't ready to talk about that moment when she had been lost in her head and Clint had pulled her back out, so she sidestepped the question. "I don't know what the rules are, what I was supposed to do."

Steve was well aware that Nikita had avoided answering the question he was asking, but he was so relieved that she was even sitting here talking to him that he didn't want to push. "Before, when you were with Volkov, what would you have done?" Steve asked.

"I would have killed him in such a way as to make an example," she answered with a hard look in her eyes.

"So before, the rules were that if a Dom touched you without your permission, you should kill them?" Steve asked to clarify.

"No," Nikita corrected, sounding confused. "I would have killed him for touching Volkov's property."

Both Sam and Steve were slightly sickened by the implications of that distinction.

Steve stepped into the silence, "I guess the most important question is if you are willing to give me another chance?" Steve asked, hopefully.

Nikita thought back to the night before when she had woken from a nightmare and how she had wished Steve was there. He was giving her a choice, something else she had no experience with from a Dom. She decided to test him a little. "I think so," she replied, "but I asked Tony for my own apartment."

Steve was disappointed, but he clamped down on it, not wanting to transmit it through the bond to Nikita. This disappointment was with himself and the situation, not her.

Sam spoke up, "I think that's probably a good idea. I think Nikita, that you need a safe place of your own where you can be alone. I get the feeling that you are not used to interacting with other people, and figuring it all out can cause a lot of stress."

"That… sounds good," Steve agreed.

"I'd like to meet with you both a couple of times a week," Sam said. "So I can help you guys work things out."

Nikita gave him a blatantly skeptical look. "Let me guess," Sam responded, "You have been numb for years. Blank, no emotion, burying your feelings so deep you couldn't find them if you tried. But now, you're beginning to feel again, remembering things you haven't thought about or felt in years."

Nikita stared at him, surprised. Now that he said it she realized that was exactly what was happening. "How do I make it stop?" She asked.

"You don't," he said almost sadly. "You have to move through it. No matter how much willpower you have to keep going, there is a line out there that if pushed across, you will not recover. You know yourself well enough to realize that if you cross that line, it will be the beginning of the end. At this moment you're walking that line like a tightrope. Steve and I want to keep you from crossing that line. I don't know all that happened to you, but I've helped a lot of soldiers who've been to hell and back. I can help you get your life under control and on the right track. But only if you let me."

Nikita took a moment to process this. What Sam and Steve were offering was a different kind of battle, and they wanted to be her allies. Also Steve obviously had his own demons to fight, and it seemed like he could use some help. He didn't need or want her to kill for him, but this she could do. She could be useful.

"I will try," she answered.

"I know you probably want to get your stuff set up in your apartment," Steve began. "But I was wondering if we could spend some time together this afternoon? Maybe watch a movie?"

"Okay," she agreed. Nikita got up and headed to the bedroom, gathering her things in the duffel bag from the bottom of the closet. On her way back through the living room she paused.

"There was a meeting last night and Tony decided to fire Fury," she said with the small glint of humor in her eyes that Steve was grateful to see again, before turning towards the door.

"I'd better go talk to Tony," Steve said. "It's not a bad call, but we should do it together. Present a united front."

He had the distinct feeling as she closed the door behind her that that had been the exact right thing to say.