Chapter Three

I slowly pace the room, once again bored out of my mind. I think I've been in here for two days now, and nothing has happened. Sometimes a worker will come in and give me food, always around the same time, but no one stays long enough for me to say anything other than thank you.

Letting out a small sigh, I stop and take a long look at the door. Steve told me someone would talk to me, but I have yet to hear anything. I bite my lip nervously and inch towards the door, lifting a shaky hand to touch the knob. No alarms go off, causing me to relax and grip the handle before shoving it open. I wait a beat, but again I don't hear any footsteps, so I peek down the hallway before stepping out and softly closing the door behind me. I wait anxiously, unsure where I should go to get out, and then I faintly hear steady thuds coming from the right. I frown a little, moving towards the sound and going down a few hallways before pausing outside of the door, moving so I can see inside but no one should see me.

Steve Rogers is standing in a fighting stance, white shirt soaked in sweat and sticking to him as he pounds wrapped hands into a punching bag. I hold in a small breath as I watch, noticing how focused his eyes are and how he seems to be beating his frustration out of his system until the chain snaps, sending the bag smacking into the wall.

I let out a small gasp, and he stills. I quickly move and almost jog down the hallway, easily remembering where the cell is and slipping inside before anyone can see me. I move towards the bed and sit down, my mind replaying his training on repeat. Why would Captain America look so frustrated when his only problem- me- is being handled by someone else? In fact, he seemed furious. Why be so upset when he could never see me again and let HYDRA kill me?

Hold on, Maggie. I chide myself. He's Captain America. He has more problems to deal with than a stupid girl who was in his way. Think strategically.

I release a slow breath before stilling. Why come after me to begin with? After all, he's an Avenger. There are members of his team that would be better bait, and he was only helping me because I was a witness having an asthma attack. There's no reason for them to come after me… unless they knew what would happen, which means they wanted me to go in.

I rise off of the cot and tug open the door, only to freeze and stare at Steve's startled eyes. I instantly notice he's changed into a pair of jeans and a plain black v-neck, and I fight back any interest in what he's wearing.

"What are you doing?" I ask automatically.

His brow furrow as he frowns down at me, reminding me how much bigger than me he is. "I could ask you the same thing. Where are you going?"

I clear my throat slightly, breaking eye contact and trying not to think about what I saw. "I think you made a mistake by taking me in."

He crosses his arms, making his muscles flex in yet another reminder of his strength. "Why do you say that?"

I force myself to meet his gaze. "There's no benefit in attacking me. One of the other members of your team would have been better for bait. If they knew what would happen if they came after me, then they wanted you to bring me in. There has to be something behind it."

"We know," He says calmly, his eyes sincere. "We have our systems prepared for any attack or virus that could get any information." He pauses, looking curious. "Why are you worried about a potential HYDRA attack?"

I shift uneasily. "It didn't make sense to me, and you have more important things to do than to keep tabs on a civilian."

Steve doesn't say anything for a moment, and then he nods to my room. "May I?"

I step aside automatically, and he's just stepped inside before I blurt, "You lied to me, Captain."

He turns to face me, looking confused as I shut the door with my back to him. "What?"

I move to the cot, still not making eye contact. "You told me someone would speak to me, but no one has."

Steve looks a little confused and slightly irritated. "I told my team that you needed to be debriefed, but apparently I should have told them to do it." He releases a breath and nods once. "I'm sorry for the mistake. You shouldn't have been left here for so long without being spoken to."

I bite my lip nervously. "It's fine." I clear my throat. "Why were you outside my cell, Captain?"

"Steve," He tugs the stool from the corner and settles in front of me. "I saw you outside of the gym and decided to check in."

I flush a little. "Sorry,"

He shakes his head, eyes focused on mine and looking almost… warm. Maybe a little amused. "Do you know who went after you?"

I shake my head. "I remember him from when you were fighting, but I've never seen him before that."

Steve nods. "What were you doing when he came after you?"

"Preparing for my class," I say simply.

Steve tilts his head curiously. "Your class?"

I swallow a little awkwardly, not wanting to tell him what I do. He's too interested for my liking, and if he's only helping me because of his sense of duty, he shouldn't know any of this. "I teach a class."

"What do you teach?"

"Dancing," I say automatically.

He keeps his eyes steady on mine, making me want to look away. "You're lying."

I look away. "I can't dance."

He offers a faint smile. "Neither can I. What do you teach?"

I swallow and shift self consciously. "Cooking,"

He nods thoughtfully. "You can relax, Maggie." I meet his eyes quickly, catching his small smile. "I'm not going to attack you."

"Do you do anything besides train the others?" I ask.

He pauses, mulling it over. "I work here," He says finally. "I keep up with the compound and make sure everyone does what they're supposed to."

"I meant for fun," I gain some of my confidence back and meet his eyes. "Everyone needs something that makes them happy."

His lips twitch a little. "I like to cook,"

I pause. "You're only saying that to make me feel better,"

"Wrong," He rises, watching me with light eyes. "I cook all the time. I'm good at it too,"

I raise my eyebrows as he moves towards the door. "How do you know? Has anyone else said so?"

He turns around, and I'm surprised to see a smirk on his lips. "I'm the only one who's had it,"

He shuts the door behind him before I can respond, and breathe out a small laugh before realizing that he managed to calm me down without even hesitating. My smile fades, and I prop my back against the wall and mentally go over everything that happened, trying to figure out how much of it was a lie.