Frostbite: Blood in the Winter// Third Book of The Frost Bite Series.

Early Morning Routines

I hated having nightmares as much as anybody else. Waking up in a cold sweat, your heart pounding uncontrollably. But there was also the guilt of waking up Steve with my screams.
The lights were on in my room and Steve sat at the side of my bed, holding me to his chest and keeping my arms at my side until I calmed down. 

"Breath in, and out." He said quietly. I did so and shook my head. 

"God, I hate this." I mumbled. 

"They've been getting worse?" He asked. 

"Yeah." I nodded. "They feel so real." 

Steve lowered his arms and sat back as I ran my hands through my hair. 

"It's not the new apartment is it?" He asked. 

"No," I laughed. Steve and I moved to Washington, D.C. to allow Steve to adjust to the 21st century life in a new setting. It also gave him the chance to see new locations and develop new routines. "The apartment is fine." 

"Tell me about the dream." 

"Same as usual, except instead of 9/11, I'm in a dark room, like a cell almost. And I can hear someone's screams, a man's. I try to get to them, but I'm just trapped in this cell, helpless. The screams get louder and more agonizing, then I feel a pain throughout my entire body, it comes in waves, then all at once and I hear these words in a different language..." I paused. "And then I wake up to you in my room, and I feel guilty for waking you up." I explained.

"Don't feel guilty, it's not your fault." Steve assured me. "We did talk about seeing a therapist, right?"

"Yes, we did." I answered. "And I have, I meet with this woman at the SHIELD headquarters once a week and we basically just talk." 

Steve stood up and walked over to the door. "Well, it's almost 5 AM, how about we eat some breakfast, then go on a run around the Washington Monument?" 

"I'll go on a walk, you can run." I said, getting out of bed. "We also need to change up locations, how about around the Tidal Basin next to Jefferson Memorial?" 

"Okay, around Tidal Basin once, then around the Lincoln Memorial pool." Steve suggested. 

"Fine. But by the time I make my full round of the pool you'll be on your 100th lap." I said.

"That's fine with me." Steve shrugged and walked to the kitchenette.

I closed the door and got dressed, putting on a t-shirt and leggings.

I joined Steve in the kitchen as he was making scrambled eggs. I opened the fridge, grabbed a cup of yogurt, got a bowl from the cupboard and granola cereal from the pantry. 

"You don't want eggs?" Steve asked. 

"I have a routine, Rogers. You said it yourself." I replied.

"Okay, but don't take a melatonin." He smiled.

Our apartments were within walking distance of the Washington Monument, so we had started our exercise not long after breakfast. Steve walked a lap around the Tidal Basin with me, we watched as the sun slowly rose up, warming up the crisp morning air and birds flew down from their nests to get their breakfast. We finished our lap and Steve ran ahead when we reached the Washington Monument. 

Ahead of us was another jogger, and Steve ran right past him. At one point I was in front of the jogger as Steve lapped him and said: "On your left."