Bruce was already in the lab when they arrived. Steve placed Tory on the stretcher, his white shirt dirty with her blood. As Dr. Banner organized himself around the lab, taking things he would need, Tony went to his sister.
"It's going to be okay," he assured, wrapping her on a hug. She denied.
"What if everyone got hurt? It would be all on me," Tory said through a sob.
"Hey... it wasn't your fault. It isn't now, and it wasn't then. We are all okay. You didn't know," her brother whispered, stroking her hair calmly.
Steve watched the scene, as Tony had more success in calming her down than him. What had happened for her to act like that? When Bruce got near with everything all set, her brother stepped aside. Tory laid down, pulling the shirt all up to her neck, laying with her stomach down, as she wasn't wearing anything underneath it.
"I'm gonna clean all the blood first, it's going to hurt a little," Banner informed, moving closer with a cloth. He started going through all of the cuts, the woman wincing every time the fabric touched her skin.
As the cleaning was the worst part, Bruce quickly finished his job, soon after taking a look at the other wounds and bruises.
"Please get at least one week without training or doing any workouts. I left the cuts with no bandages so you could take a shower and clean yourself, but after that put at least some gauze on them," the Doc instructed her, putting everything away, before handing her some pain killers and leaving the lab.
"Thanks, Bruce," Tory said before he could disappear, still not looking at anyone.
"I'm going to bed puppy. Anything you need, ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to call me," Tony said, kissing her on the head and leaving. Only Steve, Bucky and Tory remained in the room. The Winter Soldier exiting just seconds after Stark, wishing both his friends good night.
Tory got to her feet, stumbling, feeling her legs numb. She looked at Steve for the first time since everything happened, his eyes held sorrow and worry.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asked getting closer.
"It's a long story," she responded with a dry laugh, trying to lighten the mood of the room.
"I have plenty of time," he whispered quietly. His calm frame soothing her. They started slowly walking back to their room's floor, silent for a moment.
"You know that reactor Tony had on his chest?" she started, staring at her feet.
"Yep. The one he took out a couple of years ago," Steve confirmed as they got inside her room.
"So... he got that some years before they had found you. We both still worked daily on the Stark Industries in LA, there wasn't Iron Man yet and all these crazy things we live today. I was dating back then and I really thought the guy was the one and all that stuff. When Tony was kidnapped, I thought it would be the end. I couldn't handle any more losses after my parents. When Rhodes found him, I was broken, but happy he was alive and back home. After that, things just got crazy. We discovered Obadiah Stane just wanted the company and power and that he was behind everything that had happened: Tony's kidnap, the lies about us he was feeding the media, the bombs that were sold to kill innocent people on our name."
Tory sat on a chair. Steve was on her bed as she continued her explanation.
"He seemed to know everything that was happening inside the house. We found out he had someone on the inside. Ended up being my boyfriend, who was an undercover agent. He informed Stane about everything he could get, all Tony's schedule, where he would be in the next hour, what the company was doing, and of course, the Iron Man suit. Without Tony to hold the whole Starks Industry, he could get the top chair easily. My boyfriend had everything because I had access to everything. When I discovered, it was too late and Tony almost died because of my stupid blind relationship. He had to live with that thing on his chest for five years and I blame myself for it every day. I don't know what I would have done with my life if he didn't survive that terrorist group."
She was crying again, remembering the worst moments of her life. It was because of those events she started training, to get things out of her head by concentrating on the physical pain, be able to make more than stand and wait for someone to help. Steve got up from the bed and held her while she cried.
"What happened to the guy?" he questioned.
"He was arrested by Coulson the night all went to hell," she mumbled, her arms around Rogers' waist.
"It wasn't your fault. Don't go hard on yourself for it," Steve muttered.
"Everyone could be hurt today. If that man had found Bucky? What would have happened? He could've triggered him, and..." her voice was lost from a hiccup.
"We are all okay, aren't we? Tony is okay. Pepper is okay. It's gonna be fine."
They stayed there for a while. Steve stroking her hair, letting her cry, preoccupied. When she was done, she laughed weakly.
"You're all messy with my blood and tears. Sorry about that," He gave her a soft smile.
"No problem," he declared, shrugging.
"Go clean yourself."
She got up and headed to the bathroom. The noise of the water running could be heard on the room, as Steve went deep in thought about what she just said.
...
Two weeks had passed since the incident, and Tory was constantly occupying herself with physical exercise, ever since Bruce checked her stitches. On the first week, she almost ignored everyone for a while, staying in her bedroom. Now she just tired herself with whoever was training or doing something.
The progress on Rumlow was slow. Even though they had two HYDRA men, they rather die than talk. Bucky and Tory were so frustrated about it, that they were almost begging Steve to let them torture the guys, but he wouldn't let.
With the viruses now destroyed, Tony was helping Bruce and Vision on the lab with the gases. The three of them were always hidden down on the workshop, not coming out even for food.
Tory was currently sat on the tools of the kitchen, cup of coffee in hand, waiting for two supersoldiers to show up. They had a silence arrangement to run together every morning before dawn since she started ignoring everyone.
"If you let us, they'll give up! It's been two weeks, Steve. Imagine what Rumlow has done in 15 days!" Tory heard Bucky's voice approaching. It sounded almost panicked. Buck had taken her advice to try and open up to people, and now he was talking to everyone, mainly to both of them.
"Buck, you know it's not the way we do things. We just need to keep trying," Steve responded, entering the kitchen. Bucky and Tory exchanged a look.
"He said no?" she asked in a low voice, taking a sip from her mug, as the Winter Soldier sat beside her.
"As you said," he whispered back, annoyed at his friend.
"So you two had been talking about this. Actually, it doesn't surprise me at all," the blond commented, sarcastically, taking a bottle of water from the fridge and heading for the door.
...
It was hard for an ordinary person to try and keep up with two super soldiers, but Tory did her best. They were running for almost 9 miles when she just stopped and took a breath, her lungs burning. The two men kept running for an hour or so. It was like this every day, she ran until she couldn't anymore and waited for them on a bench or near a tree.
"Let me enter the room," Tory said when they were making their way back to the Tower. She wouldn't give up trying to get what she wanted. Steve was just trying to protect her, she knew it, but others from the team thought it was worth a shot. Cap just needed to approve first.
"No. Not after what happened," he answered with authority.
"Than let me talk to Rollings. I can make him talk. Throw some empty threats. Try to intimidate him. Even though I think the other guy would crack faster if I tried."
"You're not staying in the same room as that man, not again. You're training?" Steve continued to walk, heading for the training room, ignoring her rising anger. Bucky listened close, amused.
"Bucky can go inside with me. Anything happens, he's there," she said, giving him the answer to his argument.
"You'll let your anger judge what you're doing," he argued again, entering the training room.
The gym was almost empty. Only Nat and Clint were training on the guns section. Both turned to see what all the noise was about.
"Steven Grant Rogers stop arguing! You know I can do it! If I get too angry, Buck can pull me out of there. We are running out of time and you refuse to use all that's in your power! I'll interrogate them, you like it or not," as she said that, Tory walked to Romanoff and Barton, who was just staring at them, lost. Bucky stood awkwardly in the middle of the discussion.
"You'll be disobeying a direct order," he said calmly.
"Not the first time!" she shouted from the other side of the room.
"You two look like an old married couple," Nat joked with a smirk. Clint laughing behind her.
"Oh shut up!" Tory said, taking some knives and heading for the bullseye in one of the corners of the room, ignoring the stares of the others on her back.