Begin Again | Sam Wilson

Chapter Twelve

Flying overnight was not one of Brianna's favorite things to do, particularly on a military plane, but it was necessary due to the time change. It was 11:00 pm by the time she reached the base. She locked her car and left it in the parking garage and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder. They would be flying into the Croughton Air Force base in Northamptoshire, England. From there they would drive two hours to London where their hotel would be. They would be doing surveillance on the supposed LAF group there.

"Brianna," Sam said as he saw her walking up the ramp into plane. "We're suppose to be inconspicuous and you're wearing a SHIELD sweatshirt."

She glanced down at the gray sweatshirt, black leggings and tennis shoes and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm comfortable. If I have to sleep for nine hours on a plane, I'm wearing whatever I want. I'll change when we get to the hotel."

He raised his hands in defense and she shot him a smile before strapping her bag down. She sat down next to Sam who had a tablet pulled out. He was swiping through various photos. There were the same ones that had been sent to her. They were just random buildings and streets in London and the surrounding area.

"What do all these photos have in common?" Sam asked her.

"Is this a trick question?" She said unsure.

"No." He zoomed in on a photo where a poster for the Global Repatriation Council, or GRC, was placed on a wall. "In almost every photo we have regarding the LAF, there's a GRC poster in it."

"You think there's a connection." She said.

"Possibly. I know the GRC has been met with some controversy by those who weren't blipped. I've heard rumors that the conditions of the camps aren't great either." He explained

Brianna drew in a deep breath. "That would be enough to piss some people off. Do you think people blame us? I mean, they blamed us right after the blip, but I mean, do you think they're mad we brought everyone back? Let's face it, it hasn't been any easy transition back into normalcy."

Sam noticed the way her face dropped. He knew the five years had to been difficult for those who survived. For him, it had been mere seconds. For Brianna and everyone else, it must have felt like an eternity. "There are always going to be people who oppose what we do. They don't understand the sacrifices we make. They never will unless they become one of us. You and everyone else did what you thought was right. You saw an opportunity to bring us back and you did. I don't blame you even if I was gone for five years. It could have been worse, it could have been ten years."

"You're pretty good at the pep talk." She admitted with a smile.

"I know. Now why don't you get some sleep." He suggested.

"Can I use your arm as a pillow?"

He chuckled and said 'yes.' However, in the back of his mind, he was thinking of her question in different ways. Brianna could use him in any way she wanted. He turned his head slightly when he heard her breathing even out. She was curled up against his side. One hand rested against his torso. She was gripping his shirt like it was a blanket. He reached out with his free hand and moved her hair from her face.

Sam knew Brianna wasn't a morning person. That was why he was terrified to wake her up hours later to let her know they had landed. He had managed to get a few hours of sleep, but found it a little difficult since she was laying against him. He moved only slightly and she sat up. She let out an annoyed groan and rubbed her eyes.

"We're here." He told her.

"How long was I asleep for?" She asked as she picked her hair and stood up to get her bag.

"Pretty much the whole flight." He told her.

They walked outside to see the sun just starting to rise. There was a hazy fog covering the tarmac and the air was a little chilly. That was typical UK weather. Their team had gathered outside.

"Eddie and I will stay on base with the plane just in case something happens. Torres and Nicky will go with you two to the hotel. There's an unmarked car waiting outside the gate." Their pilot explained.

"Thanks for the ride." Sam told him.

Brianna could already feel the time change affecting her body, but she didn't have time to rest. They came there to do surveillance, not sleep. The car that they had been provided with were some dark colored Volkswagen sedan that would comfortably hold them all. She threw her bag into the trunk and climbed into the backseat with Sam while Nicky entered their hotel into the GPS.

The drive was mostly quiet since all of them were still tired from the flight. That was until Torres connected his phone to the Bluetooth in the car and started playing some weird techno song. It caused Sam to raise his eyebrow and shoot her a look. She bit her bottom lip, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Alright. I've had enough of this." Sam said after only five minutes. "Let me play something good."

"I don't know what you have that's better than this, but okay." Torres agreed.

Sam scoffed, but didn't say anything. He shuffled through his phone until he found something he liked. Marvin Gaye. Even just hearing the first note caused Sam to relax a little. He heard someone else singing along softly. When he turned his head, he found Brianna staring out the window, singing.

"Father, father. We don't need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer. For only love can conquer hate." She sang softly, but stopped when she saw Sam looking at her. Her cheeks tinged pink. She had been caught.

He didn't say a word to her. He just smiled turned back to face the front of the car. The hotel wasn't the nicest hotel she had stayed at, but it certainly wasn't the worst. There were a few restaurants within walking distance. She stood in the lobby while Nicky got their hotel room keys. When he returned, she saw he only had two in his hand.

"Looks like we gotta bunk up." He informed them. "I'm with Torres."

Brianna scowled and took the key from him. She was going to have to share a room with Sam. "There better be two beds or your ass is sleeping on the floor."

"I don't mind sharing." He teased her, almost causing her to punch him.

To her relief, there was indeed two beds. The room was clean and nice and that was all they really needed. There was a bathroom. A window with a view of the street and a small table where they could set all their things up. She placed her bag on her bed and pulled out a change of clothes. She excused herself to go into the bathroom and put on a pair of high waisted, black skinny jeans, a white t shirt tucked into it, she cuffed the jeans and put the same shoes she had on.

"You didn't tell me you knew Marvin Gaye." Sam told her as she walked out of the bathroom.

She shrugged her shoulders as she slipped on a wool, beige, pea coat on. "The topic never came up."

"May I ask how you know his music?" He pried.

"My father's training officer, he used to play Marvin Gaye on the radio all the time. I kind of picked up on a few songs. The one you played is one of my favorite ones." She explained.

"You're a good singer."

She bit her lip, trying not to smile. "Well, I hope you enjoyed my little concert. That'll be the only time you ever hear me sing again. Now come on. I'm hungry and we have work to do."

"Maybe we can find some dive bar and you can sing some karaoke for me." He joked.

"Sam..."