To The End [Steve Rogers]

13 - The Role of a Lifetime

"Why can't Natasha go?" Jessica wonders, "I don't think I'm up for it."

"That can easily be fixed," Natasha reminds her.

"And I'm not leaving you here alone," Steve adds. "SHIELD thinks you're in the hospital. If anyone is looking for you, they're likely to check here first. We have to go."

He sits at the edge of her bed so that she's forced to look at him. She knows what she must do, but it's dangerous for her to siphon when she's as injured as she is. Still, Steve looks at her with so much optimism, she struggles to say no.

"Jess," he says, "it's okay. I trust you."

Her heart skips a beat, but she doesn't let it show. He reaches out for her hand with his own and waits for her to take it.

He's not the enemy. He's not—

"You have to be the one to let go, Steve," she tells him.

He nods, so she hesitantly places her hand in his.

There is no picture, but the flow of power and energy is almost overwhelming. Similar to when she touched Mr. Wickerman, she focuses on only taking certain things from Steve, which is why his memories don't appear. They never got to that point when training together, so he looks at her curiously.

The feeling of her ribs snapping back in place is more uncomfortable than she expects. As her body becomes filled with a magical copy of his super soldier serum, it slowly starts to go back to normal.

The best part, though she could never admit it out loud, is the sudden burst of energy she steals from Steve. Whether it be from lack of sleep or physical exhaustion, everything that had previously bothered her simply floats away.

And that is why it's so easy to get lost in it.

He's not the enemy.

Natasha watches as Steve rubs his eyes with his opposite hand, "That's enough, Jess."

But she doesn't let go.

"Steve," Natasha warns him.

He's watching the bruise around Jessica's neck fade away. Bit by bit, her skin turns back into its usual tan and when it's gone, he can suddenly breathe a little easier.

"You guys!" Natasha exclaims, reaching forward to break apart their hands. "That's enough."

Jessica blinks. Her mind reels in anger at being disconnected from its power source, but her heart bring her back to her morals. Her eyes flicker to Steve who has sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Oh, my god," she mumbles.

Steve shakes his head like he's trying to get the ringing out of his ears, "I'm okay. It's just... strange."

"It's dangerous," Natasha corrects him. "You're lucky I was here, or she would have killed you."

"It wasn't—" he starts, but Jessica interrupts him.

"She's right," she mutters, pushing the blanket off of her legs, "but it's over now. We've got to get going."

Steve nods, understanding the difference between a concussed Jessica and an uninjured one. She's herself again, which means there's no arguing with her when it comes to her powers.

The good thing about Steve's abilities is that they work quickly. In the time between Natasha stealing clothes for Jessica and a quick discussion about their plan, both she and Steve already feel up to heading out.

Their first stop is the CityCenter DC Mall. It's the only place with public computers that are advanced enough to read what's on the flash drive. So, they find an Apple store where they can attempt to use one of the display laptops inconspicuously.