Always you (A Catching Feelings sequel)

Chapter 27

Rheya was dead. Tiana tried to process this information. She didn't know how she could deal with it. She already lost her father and now she lost Rheya, her half-sister. It wasn't fair for Rhyea. She just got a second chance. It's really not fair. Before she knew it she collapsed to the ground, bawling her eyes out. Luckily Steve was there to catch her.

Steve held Tiana in his arms. It was the only thing he could do to comfort her. As he gently rubbed circles on her back, he could feel her breathing slowing down as stopped crying. Tiana looked up at Steve."It's not fair, Steve." She hiccuped. "I know, babe." He said, holding her tighter. "We have to find the person responsible for this." Tiana said angrily. "We will. I promise you." Steve promised, caressing her cheek.

"I'm really sorry about Rheya. I should've believed you. She was innocent this time." Steve apologised. "Thanks, Steve. I know you were just protecting me." "I bet the person who shot Rheya is the same person that came after you." Steve deduced. "I won't rest until we find that guy." Steve said through gritted teeth.

"Babe, don't overwork yourself. You're going to burn out." Tiana said, worried about Steve's behaviour. "Tiana, there is a person out to kill you. How can I rest, knowing he is still out there? I will do whatever it takes to make sure you're safe. Whatever it takes" He said, pulling Tiana in for a hug. "I won't let that person harm you, okay?" He said, as he kissed her head. "Okay." Tiana smiled. "Let's go home." Steve said, lifting Tiana up from the floor.

When they got home, Steve tucked Tiana into bed. "Aren't you coming to bed?" Tiana asked, confused. "Sorry babe, but no. I have to go back to the compound and see if we have any new leads on the shooter." Steve explained. "I didn't see you the whole day. I missed you. Also, I think you need some sleep, too. You've been up since dawn." Tiana said with a frown. "You're right. I do need some sleep. Let's go to sleep together." He grinned as he got under the covers. "Perfect." Tiana smiled, moving closer to Steve, laying down on his chest.

I wish we could stay like this forever." She said, "I feel so safe when I'm with you." Tiana sighed, dreamily. "Good. I hope you always feel that way." Steve smiled, kissing the top of her forehead. " I will." She said, as yawned. "I love you so much, Steve." She said as she slowly started drifting off. "I love you so much too, Tiana." He whispered.

An hour later, Steve was wide awake, while Tiana was fast asleep. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about the person who was still after Tiana. He was angry at himself for being clueless to who was behind all of this. He just wanted Tiana to be safe. How could he keep her safe when he didn't know who was out to get her?

He got out of bed, frustrated that he couldn't fall asleep. There was something he couldn't understand. How did the person help Rheya escape? It's not like anyone can just walk into the compound. He needed to figure out who this mysterious person was. Could it be someone on the inside that let Rheya escape? He groaned in frustration. It felt like he was going in circles. He was nowhere closer to finding the person than he was yesterday.

Why would someone go to such lengths to kill Tiana? Who had such a deep grudge against her? He thought it was Rheya but he was wrong about her. One person suddenly popped into his mind. Someone he would never expect. He only thought of this person because they are on bad terms with Tiana. It would be impossible to be them. He shrugged off that person as a suspect. It was ridiculous to think of them as the person responsible for everything. Impossible.

Exhaustion finally caught up with him, he tried to go to sleep. It wasn't long before he finally fell off to sleep.

***

When Tiana woke up the next morning, she found the bed empty. She hoped this didn't become a regular thing. She knew Steve was going to overwork himself until he found the shooter. She was worried about him. She knew he was going to burn himself out. She wished she could take away that burden from him.

Maybe someone else could find the shooter instead of him. Even though she knew he wouldn't let someone else handle this situation. For him, it was personal because Tiana was involved. She loved him for him being protective. She didn't doubt that he would find that person.

All she wanted to do was wedding planning with him. Just something mundane, not tracking down psychos. She sighed to herself. Until the person is caught, Steve will be busy tracking them down. That meant not spending much time together.

Tiana then remembers that Nat would be back home today. She decided to bake something for her. She knew Nat had a bit of a sweet tooth from time to time. She planned on baking her famous snicker doodles. It would also be the perfect distraction to take her mind off everything, especially Rheya.

She called Nat. "Hey Nat, I'm coming over later. I wanted to bring you some snicker doodles." "Aww, that's sweet of you Tiana. You really didn't have to." Nat laughed. "I wanted to. It's not a big deal. Besides, I know how much you love them." Tiana said. "That's true. I love your snicker doodles." Nat laughed. "See you later, then." Tiana said. "See you later." Nat said, before hanging up.

Tiana then started baking. She usually liked to bake when she got stressed. It helped her to focus on something else for a while. It was therapeutic. It made her feel at peace even for just a little while. The scent of cinnamon wafted through the air, making her sigh happily. The aroma of the cinnamon enveloped her in warmth as she took out the sicker doodled out of the oven. They were perfect, as they always were when she made them. She took a bite of one. She sighed, contentedly as the snicker doodle melted in her mouth.

She made extra to keep for her and Steve. Steve really loved her snicker doodles even more than Nat did. He would be mad if she didn't leave any for him. She made that mistake once, never again would she make the same mistake twice. After setting the extra biscuits aside, she packed Nat's batch.

Half an hour later Tiana arrived at Nat's house. She rang the door bell but no one answered. She rang the doorbell again but still no answer. That was odd. Nat said she would be home. She then called Nat. Nat answered after a few rings. "Hello." Nat answered gruffly. "Hey Nat. It's me. I'm outside. I rang the doorbell but no one answered. I was getting worried." Tiana said, breathing a sigh of relief after hearing Nat's voice. "Oh, sorry. Bucky and I fell asleep. We didn't get much rest while at the hospital. Bucky is coming to let you in." Nat explained, before hanging up.

Two minutes later the door opened to reveal a disheveled Bucky. "Hey Tiana. Sorry we didn't hear you. Nat and I fell asleep." Bucky apologised as he let her in. "No problem. I know staying at the hospital can be rough." Tiana said, as she walked in. Bucky noticed the container in her hands. "Are those your snicker doodles?" Bucky asked, grinning. "Yes, it is." She said, handing the container to Bucky. "Help yourself." She said as he opened the container to dive into the biscuits. "Glad to see you enjoy them too," Tiana laughed. "Of course I do. Who doesn't?" He said between mouthfuls. "Save some for Nat. I initially baked them for her," Tiana warned. "I'll try." He said, still munching on the biscuits.

"You heard her. Leave some for me." Nat called out, walking out the bedroom. Tiana gave a small hug. "How are you feeling?" Tiana asked. "Useles." She grumbled. "I feel like I can't do anything by myself. It's pathetic." She said bitterly. "You just have to wait for a few more weeks until your arm is completely healed. " Tiana said. "A few more weeks feels like forever." Nat groaned. "Oh, I heard about Rheya. I'm sorry." Nat said, as she pulled Tiana into a hug. "Thanks. I still can't believe she is gone." Tiana said, choking up. "Don't you worry. Steve will catch this guy." Nat said. "Yeah, he will."

"Do you have any idea who might be doing this?" Bucky asked. "Nope. No clue." Tiana said, defeatedly. "I didn't realise I had so many enemies." Tiana laughed. "That really doesn't make sense." Nat added.

***
Steve was at the compound, figuring out who the culprit was. The only lead he had was someone he didn't want to see as a suspect but he had no other choice. He was hoping he wouldn't find anything. Hoping, praying, that he was wrong about this person. The more he found about them, the guiltier they looked. Steve couldn't believe it. No, he didn't want to believe it. Tiana is not going to believe him. She would think he was crazy. To be honest, he thought he was crazy. The evidence all points to them.

The person behind the attacks was Tiana's mother.