La Petite Fleur

Negotiations

Author's Note: Please comment, don't be shy. Ask anyone, I'm really quite friendly and I'm open to any and all constructive criticism anyone has to offer. Enjoy!
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When the next morning came, Steve could count the hours of sleep he'd gotten on one hand. He couldn't stop the storm of thoughts and emotions that ravaged his thinking. He couldn't even put a coherent sentence together. And he for sure couldn't stop what was coming.

He could only content himself with walking Antoinette to the theatre that morning, watching her converse with her friends in excited phrases he vaguely understood, and waving goodbye as they left to catch their first train to Calais. He could only succumb to the hollow rut of boredom he'd dug before coming to Paris.

He packed the few belongings he'd brought with him and made sure to extract his shield from its hiding place behind the closet. When he was ready, he sent the message ahead and started the walk back to where the Quinjet had dropped him off. This time, there was a helicopter in place of the jet.

He climbed in and surrendered to the madly swirling half-formed thoughts. More than two hours later, they had landed on the Helicarrier where Dr. Banner stood to greet him. Even seeing his old friend couldn't cheer Steve up. "Director Fury wants to see you," Banner told him after exchanging pleasantries.

"I assumed as much," Steve answered.

He headed for the bridge where he knew Fury's office was located. When he knocked on the door, the director's voice answered, "Come in."

Steve pushed open the door and stepped inside, making sure the door closed behind him. He faced Fury with an emotionless expression and asked, "You wanted to see me, Director?"

"Yes, I did." Fury pushed off from where he'd been leaning on the table and paced his way toward Steve. "I bet you're wondering why I recalled you to the Helicarrier."

Steve nodded, taking a seat at the table. "Yes, sir."

"It's not a short explanation, mind you."

"I want to know."

Fury sighed before continuing, "I underestimated the force that wants the girl. They're powerful enough that we still can't hack into any of their programs or files. We don't even know who they are. But they're a threat now and we had to remove her."

"Not a very long explanation, Director," Steve mumbled.

"I'm not done," Fury replied impatiently. "Because we don't know who it is who wants the girl, we can't stop them. Unless she told you more?"

Steve shook his head.

"You didn't get anything out of her?" Fury insisted.

Steve shook his head again, staring absently at the floor.

"You didn't get any information of use, Rogers? Why did I send you there if you didn't accomplish anything?"

"I was letting her get warmed up to me. She made it pretty clear at the beginning that she didn't trust me so I was just giving her some time," Steve said. "You didn't just send me to extract information. I was sent to protect her too, and I've been doing that job."

"We didn't have time, Captain," Fury scolded. "Time was the one thing we didn't have. It would have been better if you'd gotten what you could out of her by force or deception than 'giving her time'."

"I just-"

"You got emotionally attached, Rogers. And after that happens, nothing good can come of the mission."

"When Barton got emotionally attached, you gained one of your best agents and assassins in the form of Agent Romanoff," he retorted.

"That was different."