FROZEN |s. rogers| [1]

CHAPTER 28

STEVE SAT IN THE MEDICAL WING WITH JACQUELINE AS SHE WAS GETTING CHECKED OUT.

She sat on the bed, squeezing his hand as the doctor shined a light in her eye.

Fury stood in the doorway, "Captain."

Steve looked over at Jacqueline, who nodded and let go of his hand. He gave her one last looked before following Fury out of the room.

"It wasn't her fault." Steve stated once they entered Fury's office, "She was injured and just trying to protect herself."

Fury held up his hand, silencing Steve, "I understand why she did what she did. But it wasn't an accident. She knew what she was doing, even if she wasn't aware of it."

"Jacqueline isn't a violent person. She wouldn't hurt someone just to hurt them." Steve stated,

"Were we watching a different fight? She was prepared to seriously injure those agents." Fury responded,

Steve scoffed, "Those agents were prepared to kill her! They were vicious, Fury, they went too far."

"That's what they were supposed to do." Fury stated, narrowing his eyes at Steve,

Steve clenched his jaw, "I don't want her staying here anymore. I'll train her from now on. Just me."

"You'll go too easy on her, Captain. She needs to be pushed."

"What she doesn't need is to be afraid of herself. She's insecure about her control and she doesn't need you messing up her progress." Steve stated,

"You forget your position in this, Rogers." Fury said,

"What do you mean?"

"She's your mission, remember that, Captain." Fury sat down in his chair, "That's all she should be. You've gotten too close and it's affected both of you performances."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, "I don't understand what you mean."

"If the two of you were to take on an enemy, would you focus on taking down the threat, or protecting her?" Fury asked,

Steve hesitated for a moment, "She can protect herself just fine without me."

"Can she? Or are you hindering her progress, Captain?" Fury questioned,

His whole body tensed, "What are you going to do? Take her away from me?"

Fury tossed a folder his way, "I'm sending you on a mission for a few weeks."

"What?" Steve reached for the folder and read the report, "And what are you going to do with her while I'm gone?"

"We want to see how she'll cope without you." Fury replied, watching his reaction "It'll only be two weeks, Rogers, unless you're afraid she'll explode without you around."

"And if she does? Lose control, I mean. I can calm her down, I'm the only one who can." Steve stated,

"Parents leave their babies alone when they cry to self soothe. And that's what we're gonna do with her. She needs to learn to calm herself down without you, Rogers." Fury explained,

On the outside, he looked pissed. But on the inside he was panicking. He was fine with the mission, it was leaving Jacqueline that he hated.

She had done really well since her last episode in the Battle of New York. Jacq hadn't lost control, it was like a switch had been flipped.

But after what had happened earlier that day, all of that confidence that she had built seemed to have crumbled.

Today ruined it. What Fury had put her through with those agents, it pushed her too far. She was scared and Steve hated it when she felt that way.

She was scared of hurting others.

But she had always been that way. When he first found her in Florida, all she cared about was getting away from others so she wouldn't harm them.

She had control. She worked so hard for it. But then she got scared again and could've really hurt those agents. But it wasn't her fault, they were pushing her. They could've seriously harmed her themselves.

It was like her powers had a life of their own.

"I'm going to ask you to reconsider this, Fury. This isn't the time for this." Steve told him,

"And I'm going to ask you to reconsider your attitude, soldier." Fury stood once more, "Be ready by Friday."