Till the End of the Line(Book One)

Chapter Eleven

     Steve brought his hand up and I thought he was gonna take my mask off. Instead he made a smooth move and tucked a stand of hair behind my ear. I let out a sigh of relief.

    "Would you like to dance?" I asked him suddenly. He looked at me and thought for a moment. "I don't know how to dance." He said and I shrugged. He then finally agreed.

   While we were dancing, someone I knew must have somehow recognized me, or maybe I talked to them earlier, so anyways, they came up and whispered, "Hey Natalie." I turned to them and raised my eyebrows. She looked at us dancing and apologized for inturrepting then left. I looked at Steve with wide eyes and tried to move away but he tightened his grip around my waist.

     "Oh no you don't." He said grabbing my arms and pulling me through the crowd towards an empty room. Opening the door, he pushed me in not so nicely as he flipped on the light. He slammed the door and I crossed my arms looking at him.

   "Would it help if I said sorry?" I said cringing.

    "What the hell do you think your doing!?" He said not quite yelling yet.

    "I was just...well I have a life too ya know." I said frowning amd crossing my arms over my chest.

He threw his hands up clearly angry. "Yeah well we gave a job ya know!!" He said mocking my tone sarcastically when he said the last part.

    "Well clearly your not doing a good job at it." I said smirking.

   "That not the point Natalie. You have defied our rules and now that you have, things won't be so pretty when you go back." He said through gritted teeth. "And you have betrayed me." He added looking me in the eyes. As he did, I noticed something. Something that suprised and pained me; Hurt. That's what I saw. Hurt. And sadness. And pain.
    He...He cared about me!? I shook my head and focused on what was going on.

   "Well I wanted to get out. There was nothing to do." I said and it looked like he was hardly listening.

    "Your missing the point!" He yelled. "Ya know what. If you had asked, maybe I would have actually let you go, with an escort of course." He clenched his fists.

    "After everything, everything!" I flinched because he yelled the last part.

   "But Steve I-I-" he cut me off though it's not like I had anything to say.

   "Shove it Natalie. I wasn't finished." He said angrily.

   I pressed my lips together and stayed quiet.

    "Yeah. Sure you betrayed everyone else. But after all the training we did I was actually starting to consider you a friend and not a foe. But boy was I wrong. Not everyone agreed with me on that; but I was the only one who was stupid enough to trust you." He spat and I backed against the wall.

    "But but Steve...please I'm sorry." I pleaded wondering why I came here. I just wanted to get out. That's all I wanted to do. I didn't care where or what. I just wanted to do something.

    "Oh no Natalie you ruined it. You ruined it. I thought everything was good. We were training having fun beginning to become friends. And then you did this." He paused clenching his fists. "But now, you've lost all my trust. And I don't know if you can ever earn it back." He said turning around running a hand through his hair.

    "Steve please. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. You must understand what it's like to wanna just get out and-" I was stopped when he suddenly turned around slamming his hand down on the table next to me. I jumped with a little squeal. "You just don't get it do ya!? You committed some crimes against SHEILD and now your being punished until we solve this whole ordeal you started. Your basically on house arrest. You cannot just make up your own rules!" He said his voice rising standing closer to me now.

      Everything I wanted to say left my mouth and I got angrier.  I was about to make a reply when he said something that just...silenced me. He looked at me and stepped closer until his face was in front of mine.

   "I don't even know why I agreed to train you. It certainly wasn't worth my time." I blinked and closed my arms.

    "I understand why your mad. And angry,  at what I did,"  I paused then lowered my voice which was getting shaky. "But that was uncalled for" I stood there for a moment and walked around him, heading off to the bathroom to grab my stuff. He followed me and waited outside. I came out and he led me to the black car waiting out front. The ride back to the tower was extreamely quiet and awkward. Once we got back I hopped out of the car and slammed the door. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Steves expression and he walked over calling my name. Of course I didn't listen. I didn't want to.

    As I went to open the elevator he grabbed my arm.
"What!?" I hissed.

    He sighed before saying "Look I just wanted to apo-" I held up my hand.

    "No. Don't even. I understand what I did and I've already learned my lesson and I'll take whatever punishment I get. But you have just gone too far." And with that I walked into the now open elevator and up to my room.
    ***********************
  Later that night I left my room to get a quick drink. I went over to Tonys bar area and chose a drink. Grabbing a bottle and taking a swig, I heard someone behind me.

    "Trying to drink away some feelings?" Tony said coming in and grabbing a glass and a bottle of Scotch looking to me for an answer. I shrug then say, "Eh. Maybe sorta..." I took another sip.

    "Are these feelings towards Steve?" He asks with a smirk drinking his drink.

    "Now don't star-"

    "I'm not here to cause trouble but it's clear you two are meant for each other." He set his cup down and looked looked at his watch. "Well I have to go but I want to see a little more of you and him...." he said walking off. I sighed and rolled my eyes grabbing the bottle and walking off.

   Once I reached my room I took another gulp of the doing and it was now only half full. I smiled and walked over to Johnnys room. Knocking on the door, which he answered immediately, I leaned against the door frame taking a drink of the bottle.

    "So...is your door still open?" I ask taking yet another sip. He opened the door wider and I walked in. He slammed the door and snatched the bottle out of my hand. "HEY! What was that for!?" I say as he sets the bottle on his dresser.

   "What the hell are you doing!? Your shouldn't be drinking like this!"

    "Hey your not the boss of me!"

     "Just because you and your boyfriend had a fight, that doesn't mean you should drink." He said putting both his hands on the side of my face.

    "You actually care about me?" He sighed and backed away when I said this.

   "Yeah. And I'm not the only one. You may not notice it but I see the the way Steve looks at you. And the way you look at him. Thought we wouldn't notice but we did."

    I stared at him in shock and just walked out the door going back into my room. He's right. About the drinking. Laying on my bed I started to wonder if he was right about the other thing too.