Tess (A Dark!SteveRogers AU)

Chapter 17

As Tess walked out of the jail the next morning, the first person she saw waiting on a horse was her husband. And he looked less than impressed. The bastard should've been worshipping the ground she walked on for saving his ass, but no. He simply sat atop the mare just watching her.

"Awww, you came to welcome me home?" She pouted. "Gotta be honest I had a better night's sleep in there than I did with your stupid ass snoring in my ear every night".

Steve said nothing and just beckoned her over.

"Silent treatment, eh? You're mad I showed Walker my tits aren't you". It wasn't even a question. Tess knew it was exactly that.

"Get on the horse Tessie". Steve ordered.

"Why?"

"We're going for a ride, so get on". He simply said, helping her onto the horse and settling her in front of him. He tugged at the reins and the horse began to trot away towards the grasslands where she'd spent many early mornings walking.

Tess sighed. "You taking me out here to kill me for what I did? Because if you are then just let me get my gun and I'll make the whole damn thing a little easier for you - hell I'll even help you dig the damn grave if you want?"

She didn't fear death. In fact, when the time came, she would simply look it straight in the face. It was the price for the life she'd always led, even if she sometimes wondered how she'd even survived this long.

"No, I just thought we needed to have a little chat, or is that enough to kill ya?" Steve now asked, hands still grasping the reins as he led the horse in the direction he wanted to go.

She frowned. "No, but I did what I needed to - Walker was all but ready to go hunt you down".

"I know, that's why I wanna thank you for deciding to expose yourself to him. Even if you could've used different methods of distraction. We were heading back when Nat met us halfway and told us what had happened. The boys had to hide in the bedroom as we were literally coming through the back way in when the pair of 'em showed up".

Tess blinked in surprise, and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, did you just say, 'thank you'?" It was a foreign word for her husband to even use, especially to her.

"Just accept it Tessie". Steve sighed.

"Oh I will!" She said, "not every day I hear that coming from your mouth. Usually, it's just the usual shit, or yelling at me and telling me what a bitch I am".

"Because you are".

Her head whipped around as far as it could to look back and glare at him, but then she saw that he was smirking at her. A small 'heh' escaped her lips as now all she could do was the same. "Did he like what he saw though?"

"What? Your breasts? Or me standing at the door when he wasn't expecting it?"

"Both" She chuckled.

"Needless to say, you could see that he was confused and pissed, but the pervert decided to take that moment to tell me how 'lucky' I was from what he'd seen of ya".

Tess made a face. "Did you punch the bastard? Because I would've".

"And get my ass thrown in a cell with ya? I wanted a night a peace, so I gave him a warning".

"What kind?"

"The kind that told him if he ever touched or came near you? He'd be a dead man".

"Ooooooh" Tess shivered as Steve stopped the horse in a nice spot with a view. "You went all protective husband, never thought you had it in ya".