The Family Business (Steve Rogers)

Chapter 27: Holy Shit

Steve felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle but kept the rest of himself calm and collected as Fury's good eye bore into him. He would have to play this very carefully, incase he wasn't talking about his relationship with Cara. If he wasn't talking about he and Cara and Steve gave up the information freely, they were screwed. If he was asking him to explain about he and Cara however, and he lied about it, he may not be so lenient on them. Keeping his current relaxed but attentive posture he raised his eyebrows slightly appearing surprised as he answered.

"I'm not sure what you mean, sir."

Fury raised his eyebrows, cocking his head slightly nodding, "Really? You 'don't know what I mean, sir' Is that what you're going with?"

This was not helping Steve stay calm but somehow he was doing it. He pushed on.

"Sir, I-"

"Let me help you remember Captain Rogers. How about we start with the fact that I don't have only one, but two villains out there, running around with SHIELD intel that we still have no idea how they obtained it or what they plan to do with it?! Does that jog your memory? Or given your age, should we be worried about Alzheimer's?" Fury interrupted angrily.

Relief. Steve let out a quiet breath as he hung his head slightly, nodding, so Fury knew he understood. Fury went on.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong but you are CAPTAIN America right? Not Dr. America, not EMT America, not Corpsman America, it's Captain America. CAPTAIN."

"Are you mad that I saved my partner's life Director?" Steve said now furrowing his brow.

"Partner? Oh so the two of you are partners now."

"Yes, we're a team. She's way past needing to be babysat, she deserves to have the training wheels taken off."

Fury gave a fake chuckle looking away from Steve briefly before turning back to look at him.

"If she's so damn good you want to make her your partner, then why the hell has she been shot, beat to hell in the medical ward, and I'm standing here yelling at you for a failed mission?"

Steve said nothing. Instead he crossed his arms continuing to scowl at Fury as he continued speaking.

"I'm not mad you for saving her life. I'm mad because you didn't continue the mission after she was in medical care. You left and let them get away."

Steve's expression softened slightly. He hadn't thought of that. He had never given up on a mission until it was finished. But when Cara was hurt, she was the only thing he could think of.

"I can't call this anything other than what it was, a failure."

"I'm taking full responsibility for that, I should have followed the shooter when he first left the playing field." Steve said authoritatively.

"Yeah you probably should have. Then your partner wouldn't be laying down in medical with a hole in her chest and all those broken ribs."

At the word partner, Steve's expression changed, looking at Fury in a questioning manner.

"We saw the CCTV footage from the tower. She would have had Batroc had she not been shot. She's good Cap, you were right to pull her out from under Barton, he's been holding her back. So, if you want her as your partner, so be it, I can make that happen for you."

"Thank you sir, she deserves it, there's no doubt."

"But Cap?"

"Yes sir?"

"This shit can not happen again."

"Understood sir."

Fury nodded to him, dismissing him. Steve stood up nodding to Fury and then Maria Hill before leaving. He immediately went to the living area, going into Cara's room to retrieve her fuzzy socks as he had promised. Her bags were set in her room from their trip, her bow resting in the end of her bed along with her quiver, making him smile. She loved that damn bow like it was an extra part of her.

Before he went back to medical with her socks, he also decided to step out of the tower and run to a small flower shop across the street from the tower. He picked out green roses, light pink peonies, and white alstroemerias and the woman in the shop put together a beautiful arrangement in a pretty vase for him. Running back to the tower, he was excited to surprise her. Not only with the flowers but with the news he had from his meeting with Fury.

Humming to himself as he walked down the hall he arrived to her room, peeking in the window to see if she was awake as well as if she was alone. She was sitting up in her bed, reading, smiling to herself at a part that must have been amusing. He didn't see Clint or the doctors in the room with her so without knocking, he charged in smiling. Cara looked up, seeing Steve holding the beautiful bouquet with both hands, smiling at her. Cara was smiling back at him, also admiring the arrangement.

"Steve, wow, I-"

"Cara just hold on and listen. There are some things I wanted to say to you. First, I just got done talking to Fury. He decided that it's time to take your training wheels off and decided to make you a full fledged hero, no training. And he's decided to make us a pair, um a team, so we get to be partners."

"Wow, wait are you serious? This is-"

"Hold on I'm not finished. This second part, is hard for me to say, you know I'm not great with words or explaining how I feel."

"Steve-" Cara said blushing slightly.

"No, just listen. I wanted to tell you in Paris, on that first night when we were in the bubble bath, but I didn't. Then I wanted to again at the museum and then again at that café. But I didn't. Then you got thrown off of the tower and I almost lost you. Even then I wanted to wait for the perfect moment, not when you're laid up in the bed after being shot. But I realized, I can't wait any longer."

"Um, Steve-" She said her eyes darting.

But Steve was determined. He was going to tell her exactly how he felt, no holding back.

"Cara, I love you. I have been drawn to you from the moment I saw you and have been falling deeper and deeper ever since. I love you, every piece of you. The way you scrunch your nose right before you do that little pixie sneeze. The way you're so full of life and enjoy every moment of it. The way you are just, you. I love YOU Cara. I just love you."

Steve had an enormous grin on his face, breathing deeply, looking at Cara ecstatically. She was beet red, but smiling at him, just as big as he was. He took a couple steps toward her to set the arrangement down and kiss her as badly as he wanted to but stopped in his tracks at the sound of another voice in the room.

"Holy shit! Man oh man am I glad I kept my mouth shut for that!"