New Avenger (A Steve Rogers love story)

We Need to Talk

A/N: Here's the next chapter! Please let me know how you feel about Alexx having wings. I'd love the feedback. Thanks!

Steve led me to the kitchen. I made several pieces of buttered toast and quickly ate them. I was starving. Steve smiled as I finished the last piece of toast. He handed me a glass of water and made himself a piece of toast.

"How did you sleep the other night? After the nightmare?" Steve asked.

I briefly looked at him, then stared at my water on the counter. "Fine."

"Why did you say that I wasn't safe?" 

I looked at Steve, my hair and eyes turning to a dark red with fear, tears threatening to form. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Am I safe? Or is something or someone coming for me?" Steve asked.

"You're safe. for now." I whispered the last part, not wanting Steve to hear it.

I slid off the barstool, my hair and eyes still dark red, and walked to the elevator. Steve was quickly behind me. "Where are you going?"

"Practice." I replied.

Steve nodded and followed me. We got into the elevator. Somehow, I had to take my mind off of everything. I was dangerous, specifically made to kill Steve. Why did Ashley have to tell me that? Maybe it's best that I knew. Now I knew a bit why I had the nightmares I did.

Killing Steve? I couldn't do it. Not after everything we'd been through together. No. I wouldn't do it. But I needed to talk to Nat, tell her everything. I needed someone else to talk to, someone besides Ryan, who was still on his mission. Nat was the only one I trusted with this information. I was still getting to know the Avengers.

"JARVIS?" 

"How may I assist you, Miss Summers?" JARVIS's voice sounded. It was odd, having an AI all throughout the tower.

"Could you tell Bruce I'm going to practice?" I asked.

"Of course, Miss Summers."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Steve and I walked to the giant room I was allowed to practice in. 

I went into the changing room and changed into a special made sports bra that accommodated my wings, athletic shorts and running shoes.

As I stretched, Steve sat on a bench and Bruce walked into the room.

"You're ready to practice already?" Bruce asked. I nodded.

Bruce ran me through the process again, making sure I knew what to do. I got into a running position, my wings spread. When I was ready, I sprinted down the room, flapping my wings just as the simulation had shown me. I jumped into the air and flapped harder and faster, my wings powering me through the air. I was flying! Well, sort of flying. I was sloppy.

I flew a few yards, adrenaline pumping through my veins. The image of Steve's body from my dream suddenly flashed through my mind and I lost control, flipping so that my back was aiming for the wall I was flying toward, and I crashed straight into a table of tools. I slid across the slippery surface and flew right into the front of one of Tony's expensive cars with a thud. Sliding off the car, I got to my hands and knees and rubbed the new sore spot on my head. Bruce ran over and Steve helped me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked.

"I'm fine." I nodded, looking at the car I had just hit. "Oh no." I whispered.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, following my gaze.

I pointed at the car, holding my stomach. The front was caved in, the front end of the roof smashed in, windshield shattered. The engine and everything up front was either smoking or leaking. Oil began to spill onto the floor.

"I just ruined the Saleen S7. Tony's going to kill me." I mumbled.

"It's fine. We'll worry about it later." Steve reassured as he examined my face.

I nodded and stood straight. "I'm going again."

"Hold on." Bruce walked to a cupboard and pulled something out. He came back with a wet rag. Steve took the rag and put my hair behind my ear, then dabbed the rag against the bloody spot on my forehead. I winced at first, but after a while it didn't hurt as much.

"Sorry." Steve said. He dabbed the spot gently, cleaning away the blood.

I couldn't help but blush with Steve standing so close. My body burned with nervous heat rising, and I felt my hair and eyes change to a soft pink, matching my cheeks.

Steve's eyes widened and I looked down, not paying attention to the color in his eyes, the determination as he cleaned my forehead.

After Steve cleaned the blood the best he could, I said a quick thank you, and walked back to the end of the room, my eyes and hair slowly going back to normal. I stretched my wings and legs. I did the same thing, sprinting, jumping, flapping, crashing. After doing it about ten times, Bruce told me to take a break.

The room was a wreck. Tools were scattered all over the floor and there were a few dents in the walls I crashed into.

My head still hurt, and there was still a bit of blood. Plus, I had a few new bruises. Steve gave me a new wet cloth and I pressed  it against my head. My dream wouldn't leave me alone. I couldn't concentrate. I agreed to take a break and decided to finally go speak with Nat.

Bruce and Steve stayed to clean up the liquids leaking from the Saleen and the tools that slid off the table with me. They couldn't quite do anything with the walls. Oops.

I knocked on Nat's bedroom door. She opened the door and smiled. I returned a sad half smile. "I need to tell you something." I said. She knew I was serious and let me into her room, closing the door behind me.

"What's wrong?"

I sat on Nat's bed. "Before I went down to replace the targeting blade on the helicarrier, I ran into a woman from HYDRA." I began. Nat looked at me curiously, and I looked into her eyes. "I knew her."

I told Nat everything; that I was once part of HYDRA, my job there exactly like Bucky's. That I was given my abilities to eliminated Captain America. That I was a Winter Soldier. Then I told her about my dream -- nightmare really. As I told her about my nightmare, tears welled up and quickly spilled down my cheeks.

"Nat, I was made specifically to kill him. And my mind is telling me I still have to do it, that it's still my mission. I don't want to hurt him, or anyone else. I don't want to be HYDRA." I cried into my hands.

Nat sat by me, her arm draped over my shoulders. "You won't hurt anyone. You aren't HYDRA. You were once, maybe, but you've changed. You didn't even know about it until Ashley told you."

"Then why does it keep coming up, telling me to do it? How do I get rid of it?"

"I don't know. You are stronger than you think, and you will figure something out."

I nodded. "You can't tell anyone. I haven't told Steve. I can't tell Steve. You're the only person I've told, and I don't want anyone to freak out."

"Can I tell Clint?"

"I guess. But no one else."

Nat nodded. I stood up and hugged her. "Thank you."

"Anything for you." she smiled.

I left her room and went back to practice.