Frostbite

Square One

I finally forced myself to my feet to find where Steve had ended up.

"Steve?" I called, slowly searching the area, "Steve, where are you?"

I heard the faint sound of sirens wailing off in the distance and knew they were coming here. Lightning flashed in the dark sky and the deep rumble of thunder followed closely after. As if on cue, water droplets splashed onto my skin and steadily sped up until it was full on raining. My hair clung to my face as I became drenched, not even bothering to keep the water off of myself.

Several cars turned in at the end of the driveway and sped up to the house. The lights illuminated the tree line and I finally spotted Steve lying on the ground. I dashed over to where he was, ignoring the fire truck, ambulance, and police cars as they reached us. The firemen immediately went to work on putting out the blazing fire.

"Steve! Are you okay?" I panted, dropping to my knees beside him. Without much thought, I swiped my good hand over us, and the rain disappeared within a three-foot radius. His eyes were shut and he wasn't responding. He had cuts and scrapes everywhere; blood was dripping down the side of his face, and he was pale. I shook him violently and repeated his name several times. Still nothing. He couldn't die, not when I was responsible for him being here in the first place.

"Get. Up. Captain." I growled, slamming my fist onto his chest in frustration. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and he began to cough harshly. I exhaled in relief and collapsed back, shutting my eyes.

"Mel," he groaned.

"You're gonna be okay. They'll fix you up. And don't you dare move until they tell you to," I barked at him. He had been trying to sit up. He scoffed but quit trying thankfully.

Several people were approaching us and talking in hushed tones, but I could make out what they were saying. One was a police officer and the other two were EMTs, pulling a stretcher with them.

"Do you see this?"

"Is she doing this?"

"That's not natural!"

"Shouldn't she be locked up or something?"

"Shouldn't you be helping him?" I finally snapped, waving my arm in Steve's direction. They all shut up and the two medics started to prod Steve about his injuries. As they helped him onto the stretcher, the cop turned to me and another EMT stood by.

"Do you need medical attention?" she asked and waved the medic over.

"I think I sprained my wrist," I admitted. He knelt down and tried to move it to take a look, but I winced from the throbbing, and he immediately stopped.

"It probably is sprained. They can look at it at the hospital if you want to ride with your friend," he offered. I nodded and he helped me up.

"I need to ask a few questions first," the small, blonde, officer told us curtly, "First of all, what were you two doing here?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but never got the chance. A black SUV screeched around the corner and stopped right beside the ambulance. The door opened and Director Fury stepped out into the pouring rain. Crap.

"Go with Rogers, Agent Stark," he ordered, walking up to us.

"She can't leave! How do I know they didn't do this?" she protested, gesturing at the house. The firemen almost had the fire out at this point.

"Well-" Fury squinted at her name tag, "Officer Daniels, they're with me and any questions you have can be answered by Agent Hill."

He beckoned to the car and Maria Hill climbed out of the passenger seat. She strolled over and gave me a small nod of acknowledgment.

"Who are you people again?" Daniels demanded. Fury pulled out his badge and flashed it to her.

"We're S.H.I.E.L.D, ma'am."

"Fine. Let's go to the station and out of the rain," she muttered, storming off to her cruiser with Hill trailing behind her.

"Care to explain any of this?" the director asked me, his tone exasperated.

"Someone tried to kill us. It was a set up," I told him, staring out into the trees.

"And any information you obtained is gone now, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"That's not surprising," he grumbled, "There are more agents on their way who will sweep the place. I'm assuming the scientist is dead?"

"Yes sir," I replied, not questioning how he knew any of this. He shook his head and sighed.

"You Starks just can't keep out of trouble. You better get going before they leave. I'll be in touch," he dismissed me, heading towards the house and the other cops.

The EMT who had stepped away earlier came back as soon as Fury walked away. He helped me up into the ambulance. Steve was still awake on the gurney and smiled when he saw me.

"I thought maybe you took off without me," he joked, his voice strained.

"Awh- I'm not gonna lie- I thought about it there for a minute, but who'd keep your butt from getting blown up again if I did that?" I teased right back. He chuckled quietly, which caused another coughing fit.

I grimaced in guilt and leaned my head against the wall of the truck. I heard one of the EMTs slam the doors shut, and we lurched down the driveway. They started to fuss over Steve again, trying to make sure he was stable until we got to the hospital.

I kept my eyes closed and let my mind wander, but the longer I sat there and thought about what just happened, the angrier I got. Who tries to burn someone alive and then turn around and blow them up? I mean, really? Overkill much?

All of those documents and records were just gone. I had nothing. Nothing but disappointment and anger. I only wanted the truth. Was that too much to ask for?

"Are you okay, Mel?" Steve asked worriedly, causing me to open my eyes and look over at him. He was staring at my hands, which were balled up in tight fists.

"You were shot, almost burned alive, and got blown up for me, yet you're asking if I'm alright?" I replied in amusement. He ducked his head in embarrassment. I leaned forward and grabbed his hand comfortingly.

"I'm fine...Thank you," I whispered, smiling sadly at him.

"Anytime, darling."