** Don't forget to play the music to enhance each chapter**

Everyone converges on the quinjet.  You sit down, and Bucky sits next to you. Steve sits across from you, talking to Nat and Clint, but continues to give you angry looks.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Bucky asks finally.

"Nothing's going on, why?" You nonchalantly answer back.

"You and Steve haven't said two words since we walked out of that server room. You two went from needing cold showers to cold shoulder in minutes. What happened?" Bucky questions.

"Does it really matter? We got the job done and with no team casualties. Whatever crawled up Cap's ass isn't my problem." You say as you get up and walk to the back, stretching your legs.

Bucky knows better. Something set Steve off, but he was too busy fighting off Hydra soldiers to notice. He sees that Nat and Clint have gotten up to talk with Tony and Bruce. Bucky gets up and walks over to Steve.

"You want to tell me what's going on? Joey isn't talking." He says as he looks down at Steve.

Steve gives him a low mumble, but his eyes are still filled with a steely anger. Bucky clears his throat and looks at Steve again. "You wanna try that one again because I'll get it out of one of you."
Steve stands up and looks Bucky in the face. "Did you not see her in there?"

"Well, I was a little busy on my side of the room trying to give you the time you needed. Why?" Bucky says as he shifts his weight and shrugs his shoulders a little.

"She went over the line, Buck. That was Alpha in there, not Jo." Steve says as he remembers the look in your eyes when he yelled at you.

"Look, I don't know what you saw, and I don't know what you were expecting to happen on her first mission out. When you've been running at that level of intensity for so long, it's hard to pull it back. I know that firsthand, and you had to help me pull it back on more than one occasion. Talk to her, Steve. Don't let it sit and fester because it's already getting deep under your skin." Bucky says as he taps Steve in the arm. Bucky lowers his head and walks away, starting to feel Steve's concern but also remembering how he felt his first few times out.

Steve keeps his silence with you the entire way back to the compound. He tries to hide his feelings from everyone else. He talks and laughs the best he can with Sam and Wanda. They can easily see that he's forcing it and that something is on his mind. Sam looks over at Wanda and nods his head in Steve's direction.

"What's eating at lover boy?" He whispers to Wanda.

Wanda turns around and busies herself so she can read Steve's mind. She closes her eyes and see what he saw. She turns back around. "He's not happy with Jo. Something didn't go right on the mission, and he's conflicted about it. "

"Do we need to be worried about Alpha?" Sam asks back.

"No, but it is definitely something the two of them need to work out soon." Wanda says, shaking her head.

The quinjet lands at the compound and everyone grabs their gear and leaves the plane.
Tony turns around to talk to everyone as he walks to the elevator.

"I'm tired, and some of us could use showers." He looks in Bucky and Sam's direction. "Let's save the debriefing for, say, tomorrow after 11 a.m." He turns around as the elevator doors slide open.

"I don't think Fury will be happy about that?" Bruce says as he walks off the plane.

Tony turns back around as the elevator doors start to close. "Well, he's going to have to wait until after 11 a.m. tomorrow to tell me that."

You grab your gear and grab the next elevator up with Nat and Clint. As the doors start to slide closed, a hand breaks through, opening the door again. It's Steve. He steps in and faces the door in silence. It's the most awkward 45 seconds ever. Finally, the doors open to the first floor of the living quarters.

Clint quickly speaks up. "Hey Nat, you promised me that awesome grilled cheese remember?"

Nat looks at Clint, catching on immediately. "Absolutely! Let's do it." They both squeeze past you in their hurry to get out of the elevator.

The doors close, and there is silence again. Steve's anger is palpable in the air, but you continue to ignore it. The doors open on your floor, and you step past Steve, slightly bumping him in the arm as you do. You head towards your room as you hear the doors start to close.

Steve can't stand it any longer and slams his hand between the doors, pushing them open again. You can hear his heavy footsteps rapidly coming up behind you. You reach your room door and spin around, coming face to face with Steve.

"Enough of this fucking stalking! If you have something to say to me, say it." You say, fed up with his attitude.

"What the hell was that back there?" He asks, his voice seething with anger.

"Well, I think Nat and Clint were grabbing some food. Seemed pretty obvious to me." You say sarcastically.

"Damn it, Joey! You know what I'm talking about. You crossed the line, Jo. What you did was not necessary. Those guys were already down and not a threat." Steve yells at you.

"Not a threat! As long as anyone connected to Hydra breathes, they will always be a threat."
You reply.

"We don't kill unless we have to. We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. If we don't, we are no better than them. You're one of us now, Jo; you must remember that." Steve's chest is heavy from his frustration.

You look him dead in the eyes. "But I was one of them, did you forget that! I am what I am. I can't change that overnight, if ever. I'm sorry who I am is such a disappointment to you. If you want perfection, maybe you should find Wanda!" You reply, your voice dripping with ice.

Steve stands there dumbstruck by your words. His breathing pauses for a second when he grabs your face. "You're not a disappointment, ever."

In that moment, your eyes lock, and time stands still. Suddenly, neither of you can control it, and the tension erupts. Steve's mouth is on yours as he pulls you closer. Your hands wrap around his head, weaving themselves into his hair.

His lips set fire to yours as he seeks entrance. You can taste his desire as he tries to suck your soul from your mouth. He pushes you back against the door to your room. You reach your hand behind your back, you fumble with the handle trying to open the door.

You practically fall into your room as the door flies open. Now that your hands are free, they grab Steve's shirt, trying to bring him even closer to you. Your hands run down his chest to the hem as you slide your hands under his shirt to feel his skin. He reacts to the feeling of your hands on his skin; he lets out a low, slow growl as he trails his lips down your neck to that spot that makes your knees weak. You need to feel more of the warmth radiating off his skin. You pull at his shirt. He pulls back, looking at you while he pulls his shirt over his head. You do the same, needing to expose your skin to his. His mouth is back on yours, your tongues entwined. Steve's hands slide down your backside as he grabs you and lifts you up. You instinctively wrap your legs around him. You can feel his desire pushing against your core as he walks you back against the bed.

Your bodies fall to the bed, your mouths never leaving each other. Your hands find his belt and work feverishly to free him as he does the same to you. You've both shed the last of your clothes. Something quickly flashes in your head, and you slide a leg between him; grabbing his shoulders, you flip him over onto the bed.

"Sorry, Cap. You may outrank me, but I'm always top." You say, looking down at him through your hair.

Seeing you like this, Steve has never wanted someone as much as he does now. He grabs you behind your neck and pulls you down to him. "I'll be anywhere you want me as long as I get to feel you."

You need him so much right now. You lean down, trailing wet kisses down his neck to his chest. You nibble a little on his skin. He lets out an animalistic groan that almost makes you come right then. Steve can sense your desperate need to feel him as well as his own. It's gone from fast and frantic to slow and sensual. He sits up, wrapping his arms around you, kissing you as deeply as he can. He lifts you up just enough for you to slide down onto him. Your head drops back as you bask in the feeling of him filling you.

Steve leans in and kisses your chest as you start to move. Easily, you both fall into a slow rhythm, moving together in a wave of desire. You run your hands through his hair, using it to push his head closer against your chest. Steve holds you tighter against him as you move, bringing both of you to your highs. At the same time, you both reach that high. You clench onto each other tightly like a drowning person to a rock.
   
You both fall back onto the bed in a euphoric fog. There is just silence as you lay there trying to catch your breath.

Steve speaks as he looks over at you. "You know, I'm still in love with you, Jo. I never stopped."

You let out an exhausted sigh. "Maybe you should have, Rogers. You're still in love with that girl in 1940 who was wide-eyed and believed she could make the world a better place."

He rolls over and places his had under your head, you nestle in to his hold. "I'm not her anymore. I'm broken and want to watch the world burn."

"But we can work together to make things right, to bring hope to people. " he says with such aspiration.

You shake your head as you sit up a bit. "I'm amazed that with all you have gone through and seen, you can still find the good in people."

You get up out of bed, wrapping the blanket around you. "I've seen too much evil in too many people to believe we can be saved from ourselves." You walk towards the bathroom. "Don't hold out for us, Steve. I don't think I can be who you need me to be. I'm sorry, but I don't think  your love for me is enough for both of us." You say, looking down as you walk into the bathroom and close the door behind you.

You lean against the door, letting out a shuddered sigh as you hear Steve get dressed and leave.