Enemy Lines (Steve Rogers) - 2

9

"She said we have a chance..." Steve said as he spoke to Mo later on. He'd found her in the bedroom and could tell she was just ready to explode.

"Small Steve, only a small chance! Even then she can't guarantee that it will work! This bloody, bloody serum! It's ruined my life!" She wailed and slammed her fist straight into the wall, a crack now running from it right up to the ceiling.

He grabbed her as her legs gave way from underneath her and she let out an agonised cry, collapsing while sobbing into his arms hysterically. "Come on..." he soothed, coaxing her down onto the floor and holding her, muffled sobs and tears now soaking through his shirt.

Steve couldn't say anything. He didn't know what he could say that would make everything better, because it wouldn't. The reality was that they had a chance, but it probably wouldn't happen anyway. Burying his face into her hair, he shut his eyes and kept a tight hold on her.

It was ages before she calmed, Steve sitting her on the edge of the bed and crouching in front of her. Her head was hung, hair obscuring her beautiful face from him - almost as though she was ashamed of herself. "Elizabeth..." he never had used her full name before but felt it was needed now. "Look me..." His tone was gentle but firm. "Please."

She now looked at him, eyes red and tears sliding down her cheeks. Seeing his wife like this was breaking him.

"It may be a small chance, but if it's there as an option then it's worth taking..."

"It won't work." She told him, "I could tell by Helen's face that she was only saying it to make us have some hope."

"No, but it might...I don't like the thought of you taking meds or having to go through injections but..." he paused. "Seeing you just now? I can't bear to see you like that - this whole thing is tearing me apart from the inside already, but we've gotta stick together on this..."

Mo swallowed, not looking at him but staring at a spot on the wall in front of her. "Hydra have taken everything from me...they've stolen the worst thing possible!" Her face crumpled again and he stopped her from breaking down once more with a kiss, brushing the tears from her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry I can't give you what you want."

"Don't you dare apologise." He said to her. "Don't. I have everything I want and that's you. You are all I've ever wanted since I first saw you. We'll get through this, just like we've got through everything else, but let's just at least try Helen's option."

She wasn't sure that she wanted anymore injections or medication stuck into her. She'd had her fair share thanks to Hydra. Even then she had no idea what they had truly done to her as she'd been out for most of it. Cho's option would only lead to more heartbreak, and she wasn't sure whether she could withstand being told the same disappointing news over again. It was a conversation they'd need to have once they were both in the right head space and calm. Emotions were running high and she couldn't even think straight.

Steve sighed and then got up, sitting himself next to her. "Y'know it's times like this that I wish we could get drunk..."

"You should go back downstairs..."

"Not without you."

Mo shook her head. "I just want to be alone for a while. I need to sleep I...I can't think straight, my head is pounding..." she massaged her temples. "Please, people will start asking questions if we're both missing..."

Reluctantly he got up, kissing her deeply. "I'll come check in on you in an hour or so, I love you sweetheart."

Her voice cracked even if he could barely hear her words. "I love you too..."

Sam was at the bar when Steve returned downstairs. "Got you a beer, everything alright?" He asked, seeing that his Steve's expression was one that he couldn't quite read.

"Yeah...Mo's just a little unwell that's all." He faked a smile.

"All that whiskey." Sam smirked. "Drink up." Steve took a long a satisfying swig of beer, and stared at the bottle. "Steve...Steve?" Sam's voice brought him round.

"Sorry."

"You sure that you're alright?"

He nodded, "Yeah...showing my age and ready for bed."

Sam laughed. "So's old Stan over there..." He said, pointing to the war veteran who was doing some weird dance with his walking stick while his friends were passed out in their chairs.

"That would be the Asgardian Ale kicking in then." Steve chuckled, checking his watch. Most people were leaving by now so it wouldn't be long before he'd be able to go back upstairs and be with Mo.

"I'm gonna go and help him get home." Sam said, checking his watch. "You have a good rest of the night."

Steve doubted that he would.

The sound of smashing and crashing woke Mo from where she'd drifted off a couple of hours earlier. Surely the party couldn't still be going on at this time? She ventured from the bedroom and down to the gallery, ducking as something flew straight past her and smashed into the wall.

"Bloody hell!" She muttered, seeing the carnage that was happening. And it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. "Shield..." She said to herself and ran for their room, finding Steve's shield and racing back down to the rec room. "Steve!" she called and launched it at him, her husband grabbing it skillfully and smashing what looked like some kind of robotic man under it.

One then came flying towards her, Mo now feeling the hostility inside of her rising. Grabbing it by the neck, she ripped the head from the robotic body and smashed the rest of it to the floor, parts smoking. Staring at whatever the hell had just attacked her, she saw Steve look up at her and then launched the shield in her direction.

She caught it, sending it flying straight into another opponent and catching it with ease once more as it rebounded back to her.

Looking around, robotic parts were strewn everywhere while they all contemplated just what had happened.

Steve looked up, seeing his wife looking down at him, shield to hand. In his eyes she really did look a picture. "You alright?" He asked as she came downstairs to join them.

"What are these things?"

"Tony's Iron Legion..."

"Iron what?"

Steve shook it off, "Doesn't matter, are you alright?" he asked her again.

She nodded. "I'm fine..." passing him his shield.

Tony now spoke. "We need to get to the lab now, bring Ultron...or whatever's left." He said, standing over a bot that was different from the others that Mo saw scattered around them. Glancing at Mo he nodded a silent 'thanks' to her, on which she nodded back at him to acknowledge it.

Steve took her to one side. "Go and get some rest, I'll be up soon..."

"No, no." Tony now interrupted. "We're gonna be needing Britannia too."

"Tony..." Steve objected, but Mo stopped him.

"Darling...it's fine, I'll come too. Whatever Stark has to say then it's clearly got to be said to us all."