The Shield and the Rose || S. Rogers

Betrayal

With the image of Katherine in one hand and Katherine's nano mask in the other, Victoria had found her way to Steve Rogers's apartment. Her jealousy of what Katherine seemed to have with Steve still burned in the pit of her stomach. As she came to a halt outside of his door, she took in a breath and raised her hand to knock against the wood.

"Katherine, did you forget your keys?" Steve's voice laughed from the other side of the door before he opened it and his smile quickly dropped. "Victoria."

"Hi brother-in-law," she smiled. "I can call you that, right? I mean, I can see Katherine's made herself nice and comfortable with you here." At her words and the drop of her gaze behind him, Steve looked back and noticed the laundry basket full of his and Katherine's clothing. Several of her belongings were scattered in the living room on his desk and on the coffee table, proving Katherine's ongoing presence in the building.

"I'm not so sure I exactly like the idea of you calling me that," Steve pursed his lips and swallowed as he turned back to her.

"That's a shame. I could have gotten used to having a brother," Victoria sighed as she pushed past Steve and entered the room.

"What do you want?" Steve asked and closed the door. As he looked at her standing there, he felt as if the room had chilled. The hairs on the back of his neck seemed to begin rising as he prepared himself for what might happen next.

"I came to bond," she shrugged. "Get to know one another a little better."

"I think I know what I need to know about you," he countered. "After all, aren't all of you from Hydra the same?"

Victoria seemed to only blink at his accusation. She couldn't help but laugh at what he had said. He had figured out and it seemed like he didn't much help with it. Still, he seemed to only be going after her. With an amused smile, she gave a small nod.

"So, you know," she looked to him for confirmation, and his narrowed eyes were the answer she needed.

"I do," he nodded. "Does your sister?"

"Does my sister?" she laughed in confusion. "I think there's a few things that you don't know about my sister."

Katherine watched as Victoria rounded the corner and went down the stairs.

Good luck.

Katherine felt as if the blood rushing through her body had instantly turned to ice. Her body went cold and began to feel as if it was becoming rigid. Victoria's thoughts still rang in her mind as her eyes remained widened. Looking to the end of the hallway, she tried to breathe. Maybe she imagined Victoria and her thoughts, and she had only just bumped into someone who was leaving the complex. 

Taking in a deep breath, Katherine plastered a fake smile on her lips and made her way into the apartment. Steve was in the living room, sat on the couch, his back to the door. As she closed the door behind her, she placed her bag on the hallway table before walking to the dining table and place the bag of takeout food down.

"I've got dinner," she said, hoping that she had painted her voice with some form of enthusiasm. "It smells really good."

"Your sister was just here," Steve's voice was cold. It was the kind of cold that she had never heard from him before.

Katherine swallowed harshly as she turned and faced him. His back was still turned to her and she was afraid of what she might be greeted with when he turned around. She had never found herself dreading being in Steve's presence, but in that moment, she found that she wanted to find the nearest hole to crawl into and hide. As Steve stood and slowly turned to face her, she saw his face and knew exactly what had happened.