Daybreak | Steve Rogers

Chapter Twenty-Five: Alive

Nat and I raced into the hospital, desperately searching around for any kind of sign. She made her way over to the front desk, "We need to see Steve Rogers"

The receptionist nodded and sighed as he checked his computer, "Captain Rogers just got out of surgery. You can see him, but he won't be talking"

We both thanked him before hurrying down the corridor, pausing outside one of the rooms. Two armed guards were stood either side of the door, they stepped aside once we had given them our IDs.

A week had passed and I stood there in silence, watching as Nat and Wilson sat by Steve's bed. He was covered in bruises and cuts, each one painting his skin with awful shades of purple and red. And yet, somehow, he managed to smile and talk as if nothing happened. I didn't understand how he could after all of the pain and fear and betrayal.

I left to get a coffee, but he had fallen asleep by the time I got back. Letting out a heavy sigh, I took a seat next to his bed and stared up at him. "I'm so sorry, Steve. I went out of my way to shut you out and... I thought you were gonna die, I thought I was gonna lose you" he remained silent and still, his chest slowly rising and falling.

"You were right," I continued, "I refused to call you Steve, I refused to let myself get close to you. It's just... I've lost too many people. After a while, you start to wonder who the next person will be and you start to put up these walls. The worst part is that some of those deaths were my fault. That's why losing Melody hurt so much, because I couldn't blame anyone else"

There was a moment of silence and I wiped away a stray tear that had dared to escape. "There was... an attack at an art exhibit. She was so excited to get her artwork featured in it and she begged me to come along. Then, these armed robbers or something showed up. I did everything I could to protect the people in there, but things got out of hand. Next thing I know, she runs out to protect some stupid kid and... I hit her" my voice had begun to shake uncontrollably and I stared at my feet, unable to look at him.

"Don't you see? This is why I can't be near people, I'm poison. I'm sorry you had to hear it like this, but maybe it's better if you don't actually hear it"

"I heard" I looked up and stared at him in shock, quickly getting up to leave. He gently grabbed onto my wrist, weakly pulling me back towards him.

I sighed as I sat down on the side of the bed, "I'm sorry, Steve"

He quickly shook his head and brushed a loose strand of hair out of my eyes, "Don't be. It wasn't your fault, it was an accident. You're not poison, people don't die because of you. Bad things have happened to you, sure, but that doesn't make you a bad person"

"Are you sure?"

"I think I'm a pretty good judge of character. Look, how about we make a deal?"

I frowned and raised an eyebrow, "What kind of deal?"

The man shrugged, "How about we go out for coffee some time? We'll give it a couple of weeks, take a bit of time to figure things out. We can set a date right now and... you can cancel if you want"

I nodded slowly and took my phone out of my pocket, "28th, 1pm. You can decide on the venue, we'll split the bill"

He opened his mouth to protest when I mentioned the bill but sighed in defeat, "Sounds great. I'll pick you up"

"You don't even know where I live"

"Text me the address"

——————

Nat and I took a seat at a large, circular desk, opposite a court. I winced at the bright flashes from a few press cameras, trying to ignore the excited buzz coming from the horde of reporters behind us. "Why haven't we yet head from Captain Rogers?" a committee member asked us.

I huffed and crossed my arms, "I don't know what there is left for him to say. I think the wreck in the middle of the Potomac made his point pretty well"

"Well, he could explain how this country is expected to maintain its national security now that the three of you have laid waste to our intelligence apparatus"

"HYDRA was selling you lies, not intelligence" Nat protested, doing her best to stay calm.

The man shrugged, "Many of which you seemed to have had a personal hand in telling"

Another member of the committee leant forwards, his gaze fixed on Nat. "Agent, you should know that there are some on this committee who feel, given your service record both for this country and against it, that you belong in a penitentiary. Not mouthing off on Capitol Hill"

She glanced at me and I nodded slowly, already knowing what she was going to say. "You're not going to put me in a prison, you're not gonna put any of us in a prison. You know why?" the redhead raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Do enlighten us"

"Because you need us. Yes, the world is a vulnerable place. And yes, we help make it that way. But we're also the ones best qualified to defend it. So, if you want to arrest us, arrest us. You'll know where to find us"

I desperately tried not to smirk as the two of us got up, making our way out of the courtroom.

——————

Steve had only been discharged for a few days, still trying to adjust to his restored freedom and a world without SHIELD. I made my way over to him and Wilson, giving them quick nods. There was a strange exchange of looks between the two and I rolled my eyes, knowing that Steve had probably told his friend about the coffee thing.

We had gathered in front of a grave. A grave that shouldn't have existed, especially since there was nobody to bury.

Someone approached us and I glanced over, seeing Fury stood next to us in a hoodie and sunglasses. "So," he huffed, "You've experienced this sort of thing before?"

I shrugged, "You get used to it"

"We've been data mining HYDRA's files, looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship. I'm headed to Europe tonight, wanted to ask if you'd come" he explained, watching Steve closely.

"There's something I gotta do first"

Fury nodded slowly, "Mitchells?"

I gave him an apologetic look and shook my head, "I'm sorry, sir. I've got some things to clear up"

"How about you, Wilson? Could use a man with your abilities"

"I'm more of a soldier than a spy"

"Alright, then," he shook our hands and nodded to the gravestone in front of us, "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here"

I nodded curtly, watching after him as he trudged away through the graveyard. Someone cleared their throat and we looked around to see Nat stood behind us, "You should be honoured. That's about as close as he gets to saying thank you"

"You're not going with him?" I asked.

"No" she chuckled.

"Not staying here"

"Nah. I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one"

Steve chuckled at her answer, "That might take a while"

"I'm counting on it. That thing you asked for, I called in a few favours from Kiev," she handed him a file, "Will you do me a favour? Look after AK"

I huffed in irritation, "I can look after myself"

"Most of the time, sure. And please don't cancel on that coffee date," it was Steve's turn to smirk at me, "Be careful, Steve, you might not want to pull on that thread"

She gave me a quick hug before walking off, leaving Steve and I. I gave him a quick, awkward smile, "I'm not gonna cancel on the coffee thing. But I might be a bit quiet for the next few days. My covers were blown as well, I need to find a new place, a new job, and... probably change my name again"

"So, are you gonna get rid of the Rory thing? It kinda suits you" he joked, his smile still bearing a lot of pain from the events of the past month or so.

I chuckled, "We'll see. Just be safe, okay? Let me know if you need help with... him"