Experiment 13: A Captain America Love Story

Chapter 18

Steve
    I watched Fallon turn and walk down the stairs and disappear from my view. What just happened? It felt like there was something there. Just seeing Fallon's gleaming brown eyes was enough to make me question my intentions. You can't think this, I thought, she's in danger. Worry about protecting her, not feelings that you aren't even sure about. You don't even know her. I jerked my head up and ended my own personal scolding and walked down the stairs. I saw Fallon, her expression at peace. Tossing hay to the horses. She bent down and grabbed the hay string and wound it up in her hands before tying it in a small bundle and throwing it in a bucket.
    "I'm going to go check on a horse I have here." she said as she leaned inside a door and grabbed a small plastic carrier of medicine bottles and vet supplies. "But you're welcome to feed Charlie if you want to." She said as she whistled for the black and white dog. I heard scampering and saw him run into the barn wagging his tail. Fallon knelt down and rubbed the dog. "He gets a scoop of the food from the barrel with the bone on it in the feed room. Which is right there." She said pointing to a door.
    "Okay" I said before she grabbed a halter off the wall and walked off and out the barn and around the corner. I turned my head back to Charlie who sat staring at me. "What do you say we get you some food." I said and smiled as the dog cocked his head to one side at the sound of food. I turned into the feed room to see the blue barrel with a bone on it. I took a scoop and called for Charlie to follow me back to his pen. I poured the food in his bowl and shut him in.
    I looked around the yard at the beautiful yellow house, garage attached to it and the large the shed off to the side which I could see had a tractor and other equipment in it.. I looked at the pasture, the grass still green in the fall, the grass swaying in the breeze looking like waves in an ocean. The valley full of color. The big red barn matching the leaves of some of the trees. She had all of this and was alone. I guess I kind of knew how she felt. After waking up and knowing the war was over and I was alone. I distanced myself from everyone.
I felt the cool breeze hit my back and heard a noise. I turned around to see Fallon smiling. She had such a pretty smile. She was petting a large black horse who had on a blue halter. I walked over to the small pen that sat flush against the side of the barn and leaned against it. Fallon was petting the horse's neck and was talking to it. She led the horse over to her medicine carrier and grabbed a small container. She brought the horse's head down to her level and put something in its eye. Fallon then reached in her pocket and gave the animal a small treat while still talking to it. Fallon took the halter off of the horse and let it trot away from her. She looked around the pen and off to the trees and sighed. As she turned to walk away she saw me.
    Realizing I was spotted I stood up quickly and felt my face warm from the embarrassment. I gave her a small wave as she gathered her stuff and walked over to me.
    "What were you doing to that horses eye?" I asked as she walked to the gate next to me and unlatched it, exiting the pen.
    "My job" she said sighing and putting her hands on her hips. "he has a bad cut on his cornea. Nothing fatal, easily treated. He belongs to a friend of mine's daughter, she was really worried about leaving him alone. So to make her feel better I told her he could stay here until he was better."
    "That's nice of you." I said as she looked over at me. The sun was bright, shining brightly down on her brown hair making it have a red tint.
    "Yeah" she huffed out. "That and I just remembered that I used to be the little girl that never wanted to leave my horse's side when he was hurt. I didn't want that little girl to worry like I used to." She said before she turned to walk back into the barn.
    I followed in behind her. When she abruptly stopped without me paying attention. I bumped in to her without her moving. She turned to face me.
    "I'm not trying to be rude or anything Captain" she said.
    "Steve" I retorted.
    "Fine, Steve. But you don't have to follow me everywhere. I've done this by myself a long time while being a hell of a lot less mobility too. I think I can handle this on my own." She said before turning into what I would call an office. There was a small window with a desk covered in papers in front of it. Along the wall was a medicine cabinet full of bottles. Fallon set her carrier on the desk. She slipped past me on her way out the door and hung the halter up in the Tack room as it was written on a sign on the door.
    "I know" I began, realizing that I had been following her around. "Its just. I've never been out in the country like this. And had this down time to do anything. And trust me, I've lived with those people long enough." I said motioning towards the house. "It's nice to get away from them for a while."
    Fallon laughed as she went and sat on the steps that led up to the hay loft. "Yeah, I bet they can be pretty crazy."
    "You have no idea" I said as I sat down next to her and looked around the barn. "This is a nice place you have here though. Quiet. Peaceful." I said looking over to her brown eyes watching me look around. "Private" I said leaning a little closer to her. Her eyelids fluttered as she moved closer too. Her lips barely parted. I touched her bare arm below where her t-shirt stopped and rubbed a circle with my thumb. Her other hand touched my bicep and I felt my body temperature increase. I brought my hand up to brush her hair out of her face that had fallen out of her braid.
    I leaned even closer in to her and she did me. Our lips a fraction of an inch apart.
    "Well this is cozy" I heard a voice say. The shock caused us to drop our hands from each other and turn to the source of the voice. Tony stood in the doorway with his arms crossed across his chest. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked with a smirk. He knew he was, he just wanted to see if we would fess up to it.
    "No" I heard Fallon say as she stood up from the stairs. "We were just talking." she said as she dusted off.
    "Yeah" I said sadly. "just talking."
    "Well" Tony said looking between the both of us. "Bruce and them made dinner. I was told to come get you guys. We kind of skipped lunch with the whole. 'Get the hell out of Dodge fiasco.'" Tony said, "so time to eat."
    "Okay" Fallon said. "We'll be right in." Tony nodded and walked away. She turned around towards me and lifted an eyebrow. "We'll talk later?" she asked.
    I smiled as I got up to follow her out of the barn. "Yes."