Distressed // Steve Rogers

2 - The World Went Dark

"Yeah," Jamie giggled as she twisted the dog tags Bucky wore around his neck in her fingers. "Mommy's going to kick butts."

"And Daddy!" Steve grinned from the top of the stairs as he watched the door close and his best friend take his daughter away.

*

Talia was face to face with the last man standing. His smile was slow and seductive as he stepped slowly, moving to the left as she matched him step by step. Her hands had been full not five minutes ago, batons that were charged with enough electricity to stun her opponents, but now she only had her fists. She could thank the asshole she'd just locked in the room next door for that. After he'd snapped one in half and crushed the other she had taken great pleasure in using a tiny portion of the strength the serum had given her to knock him out with one punch. But now, face to face with the one who just wouldn't go down, she knew it was going to take a little more than a punch. 

He charged forwards, his own weapon swinging out as he flicked his wrist, and she pushed herself into a charge. As he swung his arm back she kicked out, her foot hitting his ribs with enough force that she heard the crack and the cry that tore from his lips as one mixing noise. He stumbled back, gasping for air, and she span as she ducked, kicking one foot out. The sweeping motion caught his ankles and pulled the earth from under him, and as he fell he struck out - the thin metal blade smashing into her cheek and slicing just beneath her eye - and a whimper of pain slipped from her lips.

"Tal?" Steve's voice came through the headset just as she heard it rounding the corner and her heart hammered. He'd been silent for too long and as the relief of hearing him so close washed over her she grabbed the fallen man by his shirt and pulled him up. He'd dropped his blade once it had torn through her skin and now, as her blood dripped onto his face, he stared defiantly up at her.

"Go ahead and kill me. It won't be the end." 

He drew back and spat violently, his saliva catching on her cut and making her sick to her stomach and Talia spoke through gritted teeth.

"Death would be too kind after everything you've done."

When her fist connected with his face Steve stepped into the light, a bruise formed already over his lip and a small split sliced through his cupids bow. Talia pushed herself up, dragging the man to the nearest pole and cuffing him for one of the agents to find on their sweep, before rushing to Steve.

"You're hurt." Her voice was low and her fingers pressed gently over his bruises. He didn't so much as flinch. Instead his fingers ran under the cut of her face.

"So are you." He wiped away the blood before pulling her towards him. "You okay?"

Nuzzled into his chest, with her arms wrapped around his waist, Talia let her tears fall. This had been so draining, so horrifically fear inducing, that now it was done she could finally fall apart.

"I want to go home." The gaping hole in her chest seemed to tighten and twist into a knot of anxiety and despair despite finally being done and she knew she needed to hold Jamie in her arms before that feeling would leave her. "Can we go home?"

"We can go home." Steve pressed a tender kiss into her hair before letting go of her and slipping his hand into hers. They walked together silently, both itching to get back on the jet and make the flight back to New York as quickly as they could.

*

Talia's mind was spinning. She knew what she wanted to say as she lay with her feet up on the chair beside her and her head in Steve's lap, and as he silently read beside her - his fingers combing though her hair - she was terrified to admit it.

"Steve?" She pushed up so that she was sitting beside him and he turned to face her. He heard the uncertainty in her voice and his heart sputtered at the sound. "I'm done now."

His head cocked to the side and she let out a shaky breath.

"I've known for months now that I've been done with all this and I've been so scared to admit it." She stared at the floor as he watched her. Although she knew he would understand, that he would be so proud of her for speaking up and doing what she wanted, she also knew he would worry. "But I'm done. And I know that's selfish because I have the serum and everything that comes with it, but I am so done. I just want to stay at home with our baby girl, and hold her and protect her, and maybe have more kids and I - I just... I remember what it felt like to lose my Mom. Or at least to learn that I had lost her. I don't want that for Jamie. This is it for me. Okay?"

As Steve opened his mouth to answer, Talia's phone rang and they both sighed. Steve smiled gently before kissing her quickly and she pulled the phone to her ear, glad to finally be in a place where signal existed.

"Tony?"

The world went dark.