Chapter 5 – Conversations
Upon his return to the tower that night Steve and Natasha began comparing notes. He provided her with the information and impressions he had gathered from his outing with Rylie and Natasha shared the background information she had found on the other woman. The records included things like her military service records, college transcripts, and articles from a newspaper in Arlington, Virginia. The spy didn't name her sources, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to know.
Regardless of where the information came from it all seemed to point in the same direction.
"Seriously?" Natasha grumbled shifting through the final file folder "Who doesn't have at least a traffic ticket?"
"Based on her service records, I don't think she spent enough time stateside to cause too much trouble." Steve responded as he skimmed the documents. "Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia. Those are some rough places these days."
The redhead nodded in agreement as they moved onto information regarding the Joint Chiefs and some of the various other personnel involved in the agreement. They continued in relative silence until Tony Stark made an appearance about an hour later.
"So what's the verdict?" he called as he entered the living room type space they had been occupying. "My bet is that the Joint Chiefs are running a Hydra sleeper cell within the government."
Steve and Natasha shared a look of exasperation.
"They're clean."
"All of them?" the billionaire queried.
"The Army Chief of Staff had a mistress a few years back, but it seems that he and his wife worked it out for the kids." She responded with a sarcastic smirk.
"Damn it, I was counting on you to bust this thing." Tony rumbled, crossing his arms like a pouting child "The documents are clean. No loopholes, no hidden clauses."
"So we're doing this then?" the Captain questioned, his surprise at the other man's admission evident in his voice.
"I guess we are." He mused before adding "But there will be conditions."
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"So, these conditions?" Rylie inquired, looking up from reviewing the minor wording changes Stark's lawyers had requested for her draft of the agreement. She was slightly surprised they had objected to so little, but then again she had written it his legal team in mind.
"Well there's technically only two." Stark explained with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders "One is that you are our sole liaison. We won't be passed off to some bureaucrat's know-nothing intern. That is nonnegotiable."
Rylie nodded in understanding "And the second?"
"The second condition is that there can be additional conditions. Also nonnegotiable."
She knew the higher ups wouldn't love either of those ideas, but all of the factors had to be considered. If they wanted this little PR stunt to work, they were going to have to give the Avengers what they wanted.
"I can't believe I'm asking this, but if you trust us so little why agree at all?" she responded, glancing at the individuals seated around the table.
"You listen to a Steve Rogers Patriotic Lesson in Responsibility and then try telling him no." Clint laughed in response.
The rest muttered some form of agreement while the Captain just looked mildly offended.
"Fair enough." Rylie said with a small smile and a nod. "I will work on getting this all finalized as soon as I get back to D.C. and I'll be in contact."
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After a night of phone conversations with the Chiefs, Rylie wasn't completely sure she wanted to go back to Washington. While at they were willing to admit that she took the best course of action, they we're exactly pleased with the amendments to the original plan.
The whole thing had her in a distracted state as she wound through the crowds of travelers at LaGuardia the following morning. And that distraction is what she blamed when she almost slammed into the body of another person crossing the terminal. She came to such an abrupt halt that had it not been for the quick reflexes of said person, who had caught her by the elbow, she probably would have ended up on her ass.
"You okay there, Lieutenant?" Steve Rogers grinned down at her, a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. It had taken a split second longer for him to recognize her in a grey t-shirt and jeans, but after the last two days he felt confident that he'd know those green eyes anywhere.
Of course, of the hundreds of people I could have blindly walked in to…
"Yeah, I just forgot how to walk and think at the same time." She returned with a smile, meeting his eyes for a long second before nodding towards his hand that was still gently gripping her arm. "Thanks for the back up."
"Anytime." He responded as he quickly withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. "So you're headed back to D.C.?"
"Yep, the Pentagon splurged for the finest economy seat that United Airlines has to offer. I'm a lucky girl." Her answer dripping with sarcasm.
"Well if you don't mind my company, I'm taking one of Tony's planes back. I'm sure we've got room for one more if you'd like a ride?"
"I'm tempted, but I'm pretty sure that would agitate Stark." Rylie replied with a laugh.
"Probably." the blond man shrugged nonchalantly, a mischievous glint lighting up his blue eyes "But that's what makes it fun."
For just an instant she found herself speechless. America's golden boy, Captain America, just encouraged her to break rules. Who the hell was she to protest?
"Lead the way Captain."
He gave her an appraising graze as though he making sure she was serious before he started down the terminal once more. Rylie had to take two steps to keep up with every one of his long strides as they approached a quieter part of the airport.
"Good morning Captain Rogers, ma'am" a middle aged man in crisp white pilot's uniform greeted the pair.
"Captain Williams" The super soldier returned with a friendly nod before introducing his companion "This is Lieutenant Walker; she'll be accompanying me back to D.C."
The pilot offered her his hand in welcome while he spoke "My apologies, I wasn't aware we had any additional passengers this morning."
"Nothing to worry about, she was a late addition." Steve assured him, giving Rylie a subtle wink as the three began walking towards a shuttle that would take them to the plane's designated hanger.
If it wasn't for her years of practice maintaining military bearing, Rylie probably would have bust of laughing. While the history books may hail Captain America as a symbol of truth, justice, and wholesome American values; Steve Rogers was proving to be much more devious than his famous alter ego.
Once on the tarmac, they were ushered up the stairs of a clean white Gulfstream 650 bearing the Stark Industries name on the tail. Rylie let out a low whistle of appreciation as she took in the accommodations of the plush cabin.
"I'm surprised; a standard Gulfstream doesn't seem like it would be flashy enough for a guy like Tony Stark." She remarked as they allowed members of the crew to stow their bags and took their seats.
The Captain seemed impressed by her remark as he settled into the seat across from her "You know about planes?"
"I am in the Air Force." She deadpanned. He shot her a skeptical look and she elaborated. "My father was a pilot before he got into military politics, so I learned a little about planes."
"Wow, he must have had some stories."
"Sure, when he was actually around." The younger woman shrugged, directing her attention out the small window on her right. The two fell into a slightly awkward silence as the plane began its ascent.
Steve's mind whorled at a million miles an hour as he berated himself for his blunder. Not only was Rylie for all intents and purposes a coworker, she was also one of the few people he'd been able to easily converse with since he awoke. And he just went and messed it up.
Little did he know, she was in the same place he was. Here she was supposed to be building a rapport with this man, a man that she actually liked talking to, and he manages to hit one sore subject and she's sulking like a teenager.
He didn't even bring it up idiot, you did…
She exhaled through her nose and loosened some of the tension in her shoulders before she spoke "I'm sorry, I sound like a whiny girl with daddy issues, which I swear I'm not. My father and I just have a complicated relationship."
Steve gave her a small smile to express his understanding. Between the Avengers and S.H.E.I.L.D he had his own share of complicated relationships.
"So you're from New York, why settle in D.C.?" she inquired, hoping to get back to a lighter topic.
"A job opportunity." He explained simply, unsure of how much she knew or was supposed to know about his ongoing ventures with Nick Fury's organization. "Besides Brooklyn is a lot different than I remember it, I'm not exactly sure I'd still call it home."
Questions flashed in her eyes, but she didn't pursue them. "One of the most important lessons that comes with a military lifestyle is that people make a home, not a location. When I was on SRT home was were the team was." He tilted his head slightly, eyes focused on a spot over her shoulder as he mused over her words.
"It's super corny, I know, but it's also true." Rylie elaborated, somewhat embarrassed that she had shared her sentimental ramblings. Especially with someone like Captain America.
"No, you're spot on." Steve replied, meeting her gaze with a softened look in his eyes. Then he threw her for a curveball. "So then why did you leave?"
Surprised by his bold question, she opened her mouth to respond but then quickly snapped it closed, catching her both lip between her teeth.
"I'm sorry; you don't have to answer that." He added immediately regretting his impulse question.
"That's another complicated story, but I'll try to give you a simplified version." She explained thoughtfully, refusing to let things become awkward again. "In 2008 we were running an operation in Mogadishu, Somalia. The place was run by warlords and pirates, some of which had managed to capture some humanitarian aid workers who had gotten too close. Three men and two women, three of which were Americans."
Steve remained silent, focused on the way her calm, casual tone clashed with the tense, faraway look in her eyes. It was a look the super soldier had seen countless times in the eyes of the men that had fought alongside him through the hells of the European Front. He'd seen it in his own reflection. Wars may change, but its toll on the human heart remains the same.
"We set up to run it like any other hostage negotiation. Established an open line of communication by radio; figured out they wanted money and weapons. It was a miracle that they didn't kill those people right then. Their English was rough, none of us spoke Somali and my Arabic is crap."
"You speak Arabic?" he interjected, eyebrows raised in awe.
"Like I said not very well, but it didn't really matter. The hostages, the ransom demands, they were all just a distraction. The whole thing had been a plan to lure us into a trap so they could take our weapons and equipment before using us to try to get more out of the government. In the end we lost two of the hostages and four of my guys were shot. Three of them died before they could be evacuated; one is going to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair." She finished solemnly, the guilt that she carried evident in her voice.
The Captain leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees, his fingers laced. "You couldn't have known that would happen." His blue eyes burned into hers as he spoke in the commanding tone he reserved for his most serious words.
"I was the one communicating with the enemy, it was my job to read them and keep the situation from escalating. It was my job to keep the team safe, but instead my teammates died protecting me."
"Then they must have thought you were worth it." He echoed the words that had helped ease his guilt decades before.
Despite the fact that Steve had only officially known this woman for two days, he felt compelled to comfort her. People with shared life experience were something he had struggled to find since coming out of the ice, but in that moment he felt closer to Rylie than he had anyone he had encountered in this century.
"Regardless, it blew my confidence. I spent the next six months stateside, helping to train my replacements until they finally let me sign my separation papers." She sighed, averting her eyes from his compassionate expression. "I threw myself straight into law school, but those were the loneliest years of my life, I struggled to connect with people who had never seen what I'd seen. I didn't know who I was without the military. So after I graduated I went back, took a job that doesn't involve holding other people's live in my hands, and here we are."
"But at the same time you're glad that they don't understand because that means you protected someone." His revelation left her stunned and she simply nodded in agreement as he continued. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here."
That infectious grin of his once again graced his lips and he straightened his tall frame back in the seat. Rylie returned it with a playful smirk of her own and she responded "I would hope so; you are the reason I'm on this plane right now. Which I won't hesitate to tell Stark if he confronts me about it."
They continued their light banter until their short flight came to an end at Regan International.
"Thank you for the ride Steve." Rylie said, giving him a sincere smile as they prepared to go their separate ways. "Way better than commercial."
"You're very welcome, thank you for the conversation." He returned her smile, nervously fiddling with the straps of the duffle bag in his hands. "Maybe we could have another one over coffee sometime?"
Rylie felt the tops of her ears begin to warm and fought to control the blush that threatened to take over her face. "I'd like that."
"Alright, I'll see you soon." He responded brightly before they both went their separate ways without another word.
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A/N: First of all, I'm sorry this took so long to finish. My life got kind of crazy(ier) there for a bit but hopefully things will remain calm. I can't make up my mind whether I love or hate this chapter, that's another reason it took so long. I think I deleted the majority of it and started over a good three times before I even had a base line that I was okay with. So if you don't mind, please leave a review to let me know what you think!
As always, thank you for reading!
~Semper