The doctor || MARVEL

Steve, what happened? ⚝ Chapter 38

June 11, 2015

Just as both of their doors shut, an ear-gutting sound fell through the entire building. All the Avengers had practiced plenty of drills with it and knew thoroughly what was happening.

A threat entered the building, and they were either supposed to evacuate or 'show them out' as Fury had put it. But Bucky had a higher priority, he sprinted next door despite it being a short run. He flung himself at the door which Virginia opened instantly.

Virginia held onto Bucky's forearms as if holding him up like he might collapse at any minute,

"Stay here," He whispered menacingly "Lock the door, don't let anyone but me in" He ordered stiffly but lovingly

"Jamie-"

"Ginger, please do this for me. Please,"

"Jamie, you will be in so much trouble if you walk out that door. James. James, please stay. Please?" Virginia tried to use his own words against him,

"I'll get you when the threat is gone," He said, shaking her hands off him and making his way to the still-open door. He glanced back and offered her a small smile "I love you," As he walked out Virginia fell onto her bed.

"I love you too," She whispered though nobody was there.

***

The following twenty minutes were the most panic-inducing experience Ginny had ever lived through. She could hear gunshots and yelling though it was all faint. She almost felt guilty for not going and helping, but honestly, it felt too late to join the battle and her fear of seeing something awful right as she went down and could not stop it.

So she placed her room, sat on her bed, and stared out the window, she tried to read her book, she tried to even play a song on her piano as a last resort. But nothing was able to distract her enough.

Finally, when she had enough there was a knock on the door, and to say Ginny ran to the door might have been an understatement. She practically flew there and flung the door open, only to see Steve who had a bruise forming on his cheekbone and a split lip,

"Hey Doc," He said breathlessly. Virginia had never, not one heard Steve Rogers call her 'doc', but there was no time to dwell on that,

"What happened?" Virginia demanded, "Who attacked, what was all the commotion downstairs? I'm sorry I would have helped But Bucky told me it was better for me to stay safe,"

"Bucky was right, as he rarely is." Steve tried to joke but didn't even earn a smirk from Virginia "Vedia, as it turns out that she was Sylvia Schmidt," Steve said, his voice sounding extraordinarily disappointed as he shook his head. "She got all of us. Buck told me that you felt weird about her. You've always had a good instinct," Steve smiled but it didn't meet his eyes,

"So-so she was playing us and waiting for most people to go to sleep before attacking?" Steve nodded "Did you get her? Is she downstairs still? Did you get her into a cell?" The panicked woman tried to ask at a speed that 

"No, She got us pretty good-"

  Pretty good? Pretty good? What does that mean?  Virginia asked herself as her lips spoke more professionally, 

"Is everybody okay?" Virginia asked cutting him and her thoughts off, but 'Everybody' in her mind narrowed down to one man, one man who was supposed to come back upstairs to her.

"Virginia-"

"Steven" She sassed despite knowing it wasn't the time for jokes,

"Ginny, Nat told me about, well, you know, what you and Bucky are-"

"Just tell me he is okay, please Steve, that is all I need you to say"

"Bucky is okay," Steve said but the tears collecting in his eyes betrayed him, and the lie fell short between them "We're starting to plan for the mission tomorrow, so get some sleep, you always seem to know how to make the worst missions go the best way possible"

"Of course," Virginia said calmly despite the hurricane that was raging inside her heart, slowly filling her eyes with tears,

"C'mere," Steve pulled Virginia into a bone-snapping embrace that both of them needed. Virginia hugged him back as tightly as she could as a sharp sob escaped her lips from the emotional encounter,

"Wait-" Virginia pulled away just enough so she could look up and meet Steve's eyes, "She didn't kill him, did she?"

"No, No," Steve said shaking his head "That is the only thing that is a relief. She just took him god knows where,"

"We'll figure it out, we always do," Ginny announced sounding much more confident than she felt, 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ginny,"

"You too, Stevie, Sleep well,"

"You too," Virginia closed her door gently and slid down the wall putting her head in her hands and pulling at her hair so hard that she thought that she might rip it out. Virginia grabbed a throw pillow from her bed and put it in her lap before bringing it to her face screaming as loudly as she could. It sent goosebumps to her skin and caused more tears to flow from her eyes. 

God, that night was going to be tough,