𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗. | ❛ Black Out Days. ❜
"T-THOMAS" JAMIE CROAKED OUT, letting her knees hit the hard ground. Her glistening eyes trailed over his form and she placed her trembling hands on his face, gently brushing off dirt from his delicate features. She sniffled, her eyebrows knitted with discomfort as she cupped his face.
The Heroine choked on her sobs with a shake of her head, "Honey, we made it. You did it, baby." she whispered, feeling her eyes sting. She let out a small whimper as she brought his face closer to her lap. "Open your eyes, Tom." she pleaded, her voice slightly shaking.
Jamie's frown deepened and she shook her head. Tears slowly traced down her rosy cheeks. She let out a laugh before it turned into a soft cry. She stroked his hair, "Wake up, baby. Open your eyes." Jamie pleaded, her eyes frantically gazing down at the golden boy in her arms.
A tightening of her throat and a short intake of breath made her clench her jaw. Jamie saw his lifeless body in her arms and choked on her sobs. "C'mon, Tom. Wake up. Please." she cried, feeling her chest swell.
"It should've been me." She sobbed, her shoulders vigorously shaking. Gut-wrenching cries tore through her chest echoing around the ambiance. She brought his head closer to her chest, protectively wrapping him around for warmth and closure but she couldn't feel anything. All she had at that moment was a nightmare.
Jamie opened her eyes with a vacant look, staring at the ceiling. She let out a sigh, rubbing her face with her bruised hand. The burden in her heart became heavier at the memory, writhing and squeezing her chest tightly making her throat close up. She swallowed the lump in her throat and sat on the bed.
She let her eyes slide over the room, taking in the unknown ambiance. She let out a frown, her mind wandering the previous day. After the incident, the ex-soldier was passed out but she did hear a faint name emitting from Steve's lips as she was carried in his arms looking for a place to hide.
Jamie groaned, feeling a burst of pain in the back of her skull. She let her eyes dart over the room again before her eyes landed on her bag, noticing it was laying down on the floor beside her. A look of relief etched onto her face and she grabbed it, picking up her vials.
Her hands grabbed the small glass bottles, clutching them tightly before putting them into her pockets. Putting her bag on the bed, she let her feet hit the cold wooden floor and her toes flinched at the cold.
As she was about to stand, she flinched. She held her side, clenching her jaw whilst she pressed her hand against the wound. "Take it easy, Jamie." she heard Steve's voice, making her turn her head towards him.
Jamie's forehead wrinkled and awkwardly shifted her body to the side. She met his worried gaze, his eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed like two swords. Her eyes trailed over his physique before she averted her gaze away towards the floor in front of her. "Is Nat alright?"
"She's fine, but are you? You were passed out for a while, got me worried," he told her, his voice turning softer. His brain was itching to know about the small bottles she always seemed to have with her. He assumed it was some sort of healing potion, but by the look of her current state his mind said otherwise and his curiosity increased.
Jamie let out a tired sigh, running a hand through her hair. "Couldn't be better," she mumbled, shifting her body to the side to stretch. She left the bed and went to the bathroom. She went to the sink, washing away the dried-up blood on her fingers. She could feel Steve's gaze on her back and she looked at the mirror, watching his body leaning against the doorframe.
"Didn't know you were married." Steve blurted out and cringed. He cursed internally and bit the inside of his cheeks, watching her face fall for a moment, before turning into a small smile.
"Yeah. Been a widow for 70 years, and still counting," she replied and looked at him through the mirror, watching how his face fell.
Jamie gave him a smile. "It's alright, Rogers. It happened such a long time ago," she reassured with another smile.
"How did he die?" he couldn't help but let the question slip from his mouth and he wanted to punch himself for asking.
Jamie wiped her hands with a towel before leaving the bathroom, with Steve hot in her tail. "He, uh, he sacrificed his life to save me." She said, her face forming into a dejected look but it vanished as it rapidly appeared.
Steve's stomach churned. He frowned, "I'm sorry, that must be hard. Can't imagine what you went through." He consoled, his eyes softening.
Jamie let another sigh, "Yeah. I spent so many years blaming myself. Kept thinking if there were other ways to prevent it, but that's life, you know. We eventually lose the ones we love. We don't live forever." She shared, finally looking into his eyes.
Steve grabbed her hand, rubbing it with his thumb. She gave him a smile, giving his hand a squeeze. "And what about you? How are you holding up?" She genuinely asked the man.
Steve's stomach fluttered. He let out a sigh, "Haven't really sat down and digested how I feel these days. So many things are happening at once." he admitted, feeling the tension from his shoulders cease a little.
Jamie rubbed his arm with her other hand. "I understand. It must be hard to get used to a new world you just arrived in," she said in a soothing tone, giving him a comforting smile.
Steve nodded. "Fury told me not to trust anyone, but, can I trust you?" he asked, his eyes trailing over her features before they stopped at her eyes.
Jamie gave his hand a light squeeze. "You can trust me, Rogers," she promised, looking into his blue eyes she has grown to like.
By the looks, she seemed to be wanting to say something, but instead, she averted her gaze to the floor, her hands, and to him. She let out a chuckle, "C'mon, let's go to the others before this gets too cheesy." Jamie joked, giving him a pat on the back and leaving the room. She heard his deep chuckles, her lip curving up unknowingly.
__________
"So, the question is, who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?" Jamie asked the trio, her arms folded in front of her chest as she looked at them with a solemn expression.
"Pierce," Steve replied.
"Who happens to be sitting on a top of the most secure buildings in the world," Natasha interjected, forkling with her food.
Sam neared the trio, strolling behind Jamie. He offered a cup of coffee, which she politely accepted with a smile. She sipped on her drink, both of her hands clutching the warm cup.
"But he's not working alone, Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star," Elijah said through Jamie's phone, being put on speaker.
"So was Jasper Sitwell," Natasha said to Elijah, placing Jamie's phone on the table.
"So, the real question is, how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?" Steve genuinely asked, his eyes looking back and forth between Jamie and Natasha.
"The answer is, you don't," Sam said, dropping a file in front of Steve.
"What's this?" Steve asked, narrowing his eyes at the file.
"Call it a resume." Natasha picked up a photo of Sam with his para-rescue team.
"Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you." The redhead stated. She then turned her attention to Steve, "You didn't say he was a para-rescue." She said, looking at the photo with his colleague.
"Is this Riley?" Steve asked, pointing at the picture.
"Yeah."
Jamie left her spot on the counter and inched closer to the three, her eyes studying the photo. "I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?"
"No. These," Sam answered, handing Steve the file. He opened it and took a look.
"I thought you said you were a pilot," Steve said, giving him a look of confusion.
Sam smirked, "I never said pilot."
Steve shook his head, "I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason." He reasoned, his eyebrows knitted.
Sam brushed him off and gave him a look. "Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in."
"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" Steve asked.
"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall," Sam explained. Steve looked at the girls, who simply shrugged their shoulders.
"By the sounds of it, it shouldn't be a problem. Be careful, all of you. We don't know what they're capable of." Elijah's voice echoed through the room.
Steve threw down the file on the table. He held Jamie's phone in his hands. "Thanks for the help, Elijah. We'll get back to you as soon as possible."