October 43 (Steve Rogers x OC)

Chapter 4

"Here". Steve said, placing a cup of coffee in front of Bridgette. "Drink this".  He'd taken her into one of the offices and closed the door, not wanting any prying eyes or ears to see or overhear their conversation.

He'd not seen her in the last few days, having been stuck in endless meetings about how to go about their plan of attack. The Hydra facilities needed to be destroyed. With Bridgette's help they had established that each one was most likely manufacturing weapons to use against them, or something even worse. They needed to be cut off before the spark ignited.

He'd recruited some of the men who Bucky had recommended, having no doubt that they would make a good team. Each one had their own forte when it came to their job. They'd be useful in different areas of skills for sure .

"Is there cyanide in it?" She now asked with some hopefulness.

He smiled, seeing that even though she was down, she still was trying to make light of the situation she was in. "Sadly not, kind of wanna see what's made you upset before I give you the easy way out".

Not that he ever would. This woman had chose to stay alive even when she'd wished for death. That said a lot about her. If she was truly affiliated with Hydra then she would have taken the pill or even tried taking a way out herself.

But she hadn't.

Steve was sure that somewhere inside of her, there was still the strength to fight each day and live, despite everything she had been or was currently going through.

"It was worth a shot". She shrugged. "I would rather the Colonel kept me locked away".

"Why?"

She shifted uncomfortably, "everyone here talks of me like I can't understand what they're saying. They call me a murderer, that I should be in prison for what I did. I'm starting to think they are right..." now staring into the cup. "I know that I cannot be trusted, but I am not asking anyone to do that either. I know who I am, and what people think of me. I just wish that they would stop reminding me of it. I accept I am your prisoner, just as I accept everything that I was made to do back in Italy".

Steve looked at her. "Let me talk to the Colonel..."

"No". She stopped him. "Please, I do not need anyone's pity. I just...I want to help, I want people to stop whispering about me like I do not exist. I want to actually sleep and not have Schmidt's face appear, I..." she became so stressed that she found she couldn't even get the words out anymore.

He waited calmly for her to regain composure, and then spoke. "Tell me what happened with him. Because it seems more than just him watching you, being obsessed...you implied he hurt you..."

Steve honestly hoped that it wasn't as bad as he was thinking it could be, but there was no telling in what this woman would confide to him - or whether she chose to at all. He wasn't asking her to trust him, just as she wasn't to him. She was still tense in his presence, he could see that just by her closed body language. Like she was protecting herself from any form or attack that he could possibly inflict on her.

He would never dream of that. Any man who chose to lay hands on a woman in that sense didn't deserve to be called one.

Bridgette hadn't wanted to speak of Schmidt, but knew if she was to try and help herself then she would need to tell this man, who was sat in front of her, the truth about the extent of what Hydra and it's leader had put her through.

Taking a sip of coffee, she felt ashamed, knowing if anyone else knew of this information then the talk about her would be more intense than it already was. That would give them many a name to call her.

"You cannot tell anyone, please Captain..." now looking across at him.

"I may have to if it will help your situation..."

"It won't!" She snapped, voice shaking and then apologising for her outburst. "I may have bent the truth a little, when talking about...him". She now admitted, the name leaving a bad taste in her mouth every time she had talked about him. .

Steve gently encouraged her. "Go on..."

Bridgette's grip on the mug tightened. "Schmidt was obsessed with me, that much is true, but it got to the point where it went too far".

"How far?" Steve pressed.

She didn't speak for a moment, still contemplating whether he'd go to Phillips with this information once they were done. People would see her far differently than they did now, that was for sure.

Eventually she spoke, the next words quiet but enough to shock Steve upon hearing them. 

"Far enough to force me into marrying him..."