Captain's Hart

Chapter 15 Project Insight

*A/N Lots of switching P.O.V.s in this one!

Arianna P.O.V.

Once they were back in DC, Steve oversaw the safe return of the hostages while Nat went to deliver her package to Fury under the pretense of taking Arianna to the medical bay. Well, technically they did go to the bay, they just happened to pass Fury on the way.

He nodded to them both, glancing quickly at Arianna's arm but not commenting. As she sat on the cot in the med bay, Nat cleaning and dressing her wound, Arianna asked abruptly: "Do you really think he's trying to turn us against each other?"

Nat glanced at her and sighed. She shook her head as she replied slowly, carefully: "I don't think it's intentional, but I think he's starting something and naturally it makes us draw lines. It's nothing new, but somehow I don't like the feeling I'm getting this time... It's got me more on edge than usual."

"More like you've got me and Steve further on edge than we need to be." Arianna muttered under her breath, but Nat heard her and looked at her pointedly. "No, I haven't." Nat replied flatly. "You put yourselves there, both of you. You when you had to go and be stupid, and him when he didn't try to fight to get you back."

Arianna had tensed again and she warned darkly: "Nat. Drop it. Now." Nat glared at her as she snapped: "No, you drop it. I didn't train you and watch you grow up from a teenager to an adult just so that you can act like a child!"

"Child? Me?" Arianna spat, finally having had enough. "Excuse me, who's the one who said 'love is for children'?"

"Is that what Clint taught you?" Nat countered and Arianna turned her face away. Nat continued, softer now: "Come on, Ria. You know better than that. I might be cold, but Phil and Clint taught you to be more humane than what I knew. Don't let fear draw you back."

Arianna had turned away, leaning back on the wall and she murmured: "It's not fear. It's fact. Don't deny it, you think it too sometimes. At the end of the day, we're no better than monsters."

"You are better." Nat argued as she looked at Arianna and then at the SHIELD uniform pointedly. "At least SHIELD does good. It's not in bad blood, what we do. Not like what I've done in the past." She added in a murmur, but Arianna just snorted as she thought about her recent assignment: "Right."

Nat looked at her curiously as she demanded: "What?"

"Look, it doesn't matter." Arianna sighed. "Whether it's for SHIELD or for anyone else, at the end of the day we're killers. He doesn't deserve me, he deserves..." She waved her hands as she trailed off, sighing in defeat.

"But he chose you." Nat said quietly and Arianna snorted again, sarcastic as she snapped: "No, he noticed me. Like you said, he made no attempt to hold onto me. And I don't want him to either; it's bad enough you encouraging it."

Nat's eyes saddened as Arianna got up and walked out. She watched after the brunette and sighed, looking down at her hands slightly bloodied from Arianna's wound. She sat there, lost in thought, staring at the red stains, as Arianna fought back the almost physical pain in her heart. Her hand automatically moved to fiddle absently with the locket, but she caught herself.

She let it go quickly, her empty hand falling to hang by her side as she strode determinedly down the corridor.

*********

June 27, 2013

Steve P.O.V.

Steve strode into the Triskelion that morning, beyond irritated. He'd spent the night overseeing the hostages being safely returned, and as the sun rose he finally stormed into Fury's office as he snapped: "You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?"