disclaimer: I've changed up the timeline a little to allow for an extra night between Berlin and the airport battle. For reasons that will become clearer later in the story, I thought it was important to let Stadie have some more tender moments together.

RECONCILIATION

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Sadie dreamt of explosions that night.

Sokovia, and Lagos, and Vienna, and everything in between it all.

Steve had warned her this would happen. In her early days as an Avenger, before they were together. He'd fallen asleep on her couch, twenty minutes into a historical drama they were supposed to be watching.

She'd let him sleep until it's over, Sadie had decided. It was her fault anyway- she'd been playing with his hair in a way she should have known would send anyone to sleep, letting blue light stream from her palm. It had begun as a remedy for his headache, but the poor guy deserved to relax, she thought; he worked so hard.

That was the first time she realised Steve Rogers was a very light sleeper. Every time she lifted her hand from his head, he shifted horribly, leaving her no choice but to resume her gentle touch.

Then, a while later, he jumped to his feet, suddenly awake in a cold sweat. His eyes darted around the shadows of the room until he determined there was no threat, and then he sat down again like it was routine. The only explanation offered was a simple mumbling of the word "nightmare."

"It's part of the job," Steve had said to her, when she pressed it further. "You have things to battle with when the battle's over. It's the unglamorous part all the press leave out."

So Sadie dreamt of explosions that night in Berlin.

But she couldn't wake herself up from it like Steve had. Instead, she was trapped in a dream, illusion and memory twisting into something unfathomable, and she was trapped, running.

She was woken instead by a change in the air, but no noise to go with it. Sadie opened eyes to notice Steve settling into the driver's seat of the truck. She had known without looking that it was him who had woken her, despite his stealth and his quietness, and the lack of light.

A sixth sense that sharpened just for him.

For a moment, Sadie wondered, sleepily and deliriously, where it came from. What sort of connection this was, that even when she was furious with him, Steve's presence was all it took to wake her from the entrapment of her nightmare.

Then, as she did with all things, Sadie narrowed it down to logic. It was nothing more than ordinary. Familiarity. She knew it was Steve before she saw him, yes, but she knew it the same way she knew her way around her home in the dark. She knew his breathing, and his movements, his... energy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Steve whispered. "Go back to sleep, doll."

His voice was too tender, after all their arguments of the day. So he could stand it then. To spend the night with her despite the passive aggression between them previously.

In the heavy haze of nightfall, and the heavy daze of drowsiness, Sadie forgot her anger, her tiredness, and was reminded only of her care for him. She reached for him, sleepily, catching his hand in the dark, squeezing it tightly.

"It's okay. I had a dream," she mumbled. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice low and velvet. She couldn't see his face, only the silhouette of him in the dark.

"I... don't remember," Sadie said, grasping for the memory to no avail, her eyes falling shut again.

"Where's your blouse?" Steve asked, and she could hear his frown. "This place isn't clean."

"I didn't want to get it dirty, it's all I have to wear tomorrow," she sighed, still hardly awake, even as he tucked a thick material around her vest top. She knew only from the cologne that it was his jacket. "Are we friends again?"

"I hope not," Steve chuckled, as he zipped the jacket up for her. "Being friends with you was torture, since I liked you so much. But I am sorry. I want to move past this."

"This is a high stress time," Sadie sighed. Her eyes had adjusted now, and she could just about make out his face. "And I've been... very critical. Overly critical. Of you, and your choices. However dumb they are."

A raised eyebrow, and a deep laugh. "That's your idea of an apology, Dr Moore?"

There was some thickness to his question, some suggestion in his tone or expectation, that suddenly had her feeling much more alert than a moment earlier.

"I'm not so good at saying I'm sorry, Captain Rogers," Sadie chuckled, pulling him toward her by his cotton shirt. "I'm much better at showing it. Let me show you."

She kissed him deeply then, as Steve pulled her into his lap, and it was astonishing- even as she was in it- how quickly they fell into their roles. How his hands snaked up the small of her back, hot under the material of her vest, and the jacket he'd just given her. How hers found their way into his hair and- they glowed, of course. They glowed like they always did when he kissed her like this, when he touched her like this.

"I'll always want to help you," Sadie panted, after he caught her bottom lip between his teeth, moved his attention to the sensitive spot behind her jaw. "You call, I'll come running, you know that. Even if I'm on the other side of the globe, I'd do it for you, baby. I'd do anything for you- for us."

"That's a much better version," Steve said, his voice gruff in her ear as he pulled her up closer against his torso and her skirt was both terribly convenient and agitating at the same time. "Much better. But I'm still going to have you take you up on your offer."

"My offer?" she asked, with a laugh, despite knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"To show me how sorry you are," Steve said. "And I'll show you how sorry I am, too."

"Oh, that sounds good," Sadie smiled, kissing his lips again. "Fuck apologies."

Their kiss was all heat and teeth against skin and he made her feel so fucking young, and invigorated, and spirited, when the weight of life made her feel decades older, and tireder, and low. She'd missed this. She'd missed him, and it hadn't even been a week since they were together this way.

Still, Sadie didn't know what she'd do if she was ever apart from him a minute more in her entire life.

"Fuck apologies," Steve muttered in agreement, the warmth of his sighs stronger than the glow of her hands in the places she knew he needed her. "And fuck fighting too."

~

Sadie didn't dream of any more explosions that night.

It certainly wasn't the most comfortable sleep she'd ever had. The car seats were scratchy beneath their skin, and the lack of a car battery left them to rely only on shared body heat. But she didn't have a single nightmare more, and neither did Steve, it seemed.

The couple slept soundly until they were woken by the morning light, and Sam's wake up call- sixteen minutes before they had to leave and meet Sharon at their rendezvous point.

Six minutes, and what did Sadie have with her? Some things to brush her teeth with that Sam had snuck out to get, but no comb or oil for her tangled hair- she could thank Steve for that. No makeup to cover the marks he'd left on her skin, so she buttoned her blouse high and tight and hoped nobody would notice, or at least nobody would comment. 

She didn't mind the small inconvenience- it only wasn't fair that any marks she'd made on him would have healed by now. Sadie debated healing her own, but she had already healed her arm, so she didn't want to be wasteful.

That may have just been an excuse.

She was only grateful that the warehouse had a bathroom with running water so that she could at least wash her face, and freshen up slightly. Sadie hoped desperately that they could have all of this done within twenty-four hours, and that she could at least get a shower after the end of it all. She missed her home routine.

In that sense, she supposed sixteen minutes was more than enough time, as there was nothing for them to do but leave.

Sadie was first in the car, as she was the first to use the bathroom, and so she settled herself into the passenger seat of the Beetle, pulled her seat up as best she could without crushing her knees. Times like these, Sadie wished she was smaller.

Curious and bored, she opened up the glovebox to see what treasures she might find and- yes! She'd hit the jackpot. An old fisherman's hat that Sadie wasn't sure she could guess the age of, but she figured her hair wasn't going to be combed or braided any time soon, so she dusted off the headwear and pulled it on.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror. This was the one time in her life that she actually missed the dreaded headpiece of her Aceso uniform. But it did the job. That was one piece of evidence from last night dealt with.

Sadie was pulled out of her elation by a knock on her door- Sam, leaning over the car, with a frown on his face. She shifted her blouse quickly, and cracked open the door just enough to hear him.

"You're really going to do this to me?" Sam sighed. "You're really taking shotgun?"

"Yes," Sadie said, trying to hold back her grin. "Why don't you drive? You could drive."

"Steve's driving," Sam said. "And he won't compromise."

She cracked a smile then. "Neither will I. Now, are you getting in the car, or are you getting in the car?"

Bucky joined them next, Sam still grumbling about having to share the backseat until Steve arrived and told them both to suck it up- the drive wouldn't be so long.

That was a lie, Sadie discovered, after twenty minutes of following the GPS in what seemed to be a circle. They were beyond late, and Bucky, out of all of them, seemed the least frustrated by it all.

"This city," he said, to no one in particular, as Sadie cross referenced the GPS route with the map she held in her hands. "It's changed so much."

"You should see New York," Steve chuckled, tapping against the wheel.

"This is the bridge!" Sadie said, as she finally found their spot on the map. "We should be under this, not over it."

"No, that can't be right," Steve frowned, glancing quickly at the map. "You sure you're reading that right?"

"I'm sure," Sadie said, rolling her eyes. "Pull off at the next chance."

"I could've sworn-"

"Cap, she's right, you're wrong," Sam said from behind her, gesturing to their spot on the map. "Pull off."

"Thank you, Sam," Sadie smiled, happily, pulling a tongue at Steve who only smiled and rolled his eyes as he followed their instructions.

"You're welcome, Sadie," Sam replied, in a manner somewhat unnatural for him. "You wanna swap with me after the next stop?"

"The offer is tempting... But no. Nice try."

When they finally got to their rendezvous point, none of them were surprised to see an SUV already parked, a glimpse of blonde hair in the driver's seat. Steve turned to the group, an eyebrow raised.

"Who's coming out?" he asked, eliciting a loud laugh from Sam.

"Like I can move," he said, and Sadie felt his knee pushing pressure against her back.

She couldn't reach him, but her power could, so she let some light whip out behind her, giving him a sharp nudge to lay off it. Steve turned to her, expectantly, and Sadie couldn't help the grimace on her face.

"I don't really know her," she said, carefully. "And she doesn't have anything for me. It'd be weird."

"Bucky?"

"What Isadora said," Bucky said, and Steve just shrugged in response, getting out of the car to meet Sharon.

The three of them fell into silence then, and Sadie was half expecting to hear another plea from Sam to switch seats, but instead she heard something she wouldn't have guessed he'd say. Something they all knew, but no one had ever acknowledged.

"She's into him."

"Yeah," Sadie said, because it was the only thing that was sensible, as she watched Sharon.

"You okay with that?" Sam asked, and she laughed awkwardly.

She'd noticed it yesterday, at the UN building, through all the glass in that office, how undeniable it was. When she was finished with Bucky on the sublevels and had wanted to fill in Steve, but the room was already occupied. Sadie hadn't let herself think about it for too long, she'd pushed it out of her mind and assumed it was just her own insecurities.

But even now, Sadie could see it in Sharon Carter's eyes, in her mannerisms, and if the window were open she would probably hear it in her voice. There was some feeling there.

She was 'into him', that much was clear.

"He's into me," Sadie said, in response to Sam's question, and her own observation, keeping her voice as nonchalant as she could.

"Wilson, why are you meddling?" Bucky said, the harshest he'd spoken all morning and Sadie made sure to jump in before Sam argued back.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm not threatened."

"Why would you be?" Sam said, quickly. "You've got no reason to be. You're- I mean- you have nothing to worry about, Sadie."

He was overcompensating so obviously and gracelessly that Sadie couldn't help but laugh at his realised mistake, as she gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Sam," she said. "I appreciate it."

There was silence again then, as Sadie dragged her eyes back to where Steve held his hand out to Sharon, who looked down at his, hesitant, before offering hers back in a handshake. Sadie almost felt sorry for the woman.

"She's Peggy Carter's niece," Sam said, filling in the silence.

"What?" Bucky said, his shock apparently taking over his resolve not to 'meddle.' "No."

"Yes," Sam said, and Sadie rolled her eyes, opting not to add her opinions to the situation.

"And she's still into him?" Bucky said. "Isn't he like a dinosaur to her by now?"

"Like you aren't yourself," Sam scoffed, before looking at Sadie with a stupid grin. "But I don't know, Sadie. Is he a dinosaur?"

"Steve is not a dinosaur."

"I'm not judging," he laughed. "You're grown, you can make your own decisions. I'm just saying, it's one hell of a gap-"

"Don't try me, dipshit, I'm warning you," Sadie said, glaring at Sam through the rear mirror, but her glare didn't last for long since his smile was so infectious. "Anyway, let's quit gossiping about the poor woman. She saved my life yesterday and she's brought your wings back, hasn't she?"

There was no disputing it, not as Sharon and Steve unloaded the equipment right then, three large duffel bags and the shield. Then she sent a curt nod their way before moving to get back into her car. 

Sadie's instinct was to send back cheerful wave, which she realised very quickly might not have been appropriate for the situation, so she let her hand drop. But Sharon smiled back, anyway, waving back.

"Alright, alright," Sam said, shifting in his seat. "Now, move your seat up."

"No."

A frustrated groan. "Why are you shotgun anyway?"

"Because," Bucky started. "I think Steve likes her better than either of us."

That made Sadie laugh, but she didn't know what to say to that, so she jumped out to 'help Steve with the bags' although they all knew he wouldn't need it. Sharon was already pulling out by the time Sadie met Steve at the open boot of the Bug.

"That exchange went surprisingly smooth," she said, passing him the second duffel bag, which was much heavier than she anticipated.

"We're only lucky she didn't want anything in return," Steve said, taking the third bag, and Sadie refrained from mentioning that she wasn't sure that Sharon hadn't wanted anything in return.

It was only Steve's shield left to load so, desperate to switch the topic, Sadie slid it onto her arm, posing dramatically, and it was worth the stupidity for how he laughed at that.

"My gear isn't on this continent yet, so I might have to share yours," Sadie grinned, as he pulled her close to him, the cool metal of the shield against her abdomen.

"As great as that looks on you," he said. "I'm afraid you'd wear it better than I do and show me up. Can't have that."

"Flattery takes you everywhere," she laughed, reaching up for a kiss. "But I'll hand it back."

The clunk of the shield against the boot was somewhat melodic as she released its weight, the sound not too different to what it was in the midst of conflict.

"So," Sadie said, as a quiet settled over them. "Off to Leipzig?"

Steve heaved a breath then, his blue eyes dark and there was a heaviness behind them, a heaviness Sadie understood. He may have been willing to go into this fight, but it was clear as day that he would never have chosen it, not if he saw any other way.

"We don't know that they'll be there," she tried, and he shook his head.

"They will," Steve said. "They'll be there. And it won't be easy, there's a lot of risk here. So if you want to get back to your mom-"

"I will get back to her," Sadie sighed. "When this is all over. I'm standing by you on this, Steve. I won't turn my back again. So. Off to Leipzig?"

"Off to Leipzig."

~

Leipzig Airport seemed to be a ghost town. The multi-storey parking was full of cars, but no people coming in or out. The second leg of their drive wasn't anywhere near as cheerful as their first, the entire group saying nothing, preparing themselves.

Sadie noticed that Steve took her hand at every chance he got. Stop lights, open roads- he steered with his left hand and only let go of hers to switch gears, and then he'd catch her hand again. Sadie didn't mind, she actually rather adored it, she only wished they were driving under different circumstances.

She didn't adore the process of getting out of the car, and Sam's pathetic grumblings that he was 'free'- she refrained from mentioning that through the whole drive, Bucky hadn't complained once. But she was relieved to breathe fresh air.

Sadie was also beyond relief to see Wanda and Clint, especially looking so well. She hoped they would all stay that way.

"You know I wouldn't have called If I had any other choice," Steve said, shaking Clint's hand as Sadie crossed over to Wanda, pulling her friend into a tight hug.

"Hey man, you're doing me a favor," Clint answered. "Besides, I owe a debt."

"Thanks for having my back."

"You alright?" she asked Wanda, gently. "You were pretty cut up last I saw you."

"It was time to get off my ass," Wanda said, with a nonchalant shrug that made her smile.

"How about our other recruit?" Steve asked, in reference to the apparently absent Scott Lang.

"He's raring to go," Clint answered, pulling open the door of the van to reveal a sleeping man, who jumped awake- Sadie hardly recognised him out of his suit. "Had to put a little coffee in him, but... he should be good."

"What timezone is this?" Scott Lang groaned, leaping out of the van only to look up, shocked, his eyes only on Steve.

"Come on," Clint urged him, pushing him forward as Scott offered his hand.

"Captain America," Scott said, his handshake frantic and his expression amazed. Sadie glanced over at Steve, bit back her laugh at his somewhat uncomfortable demeanour, same as it always was whenever he was recognised.

"Mr. Lang," he said, politely.

"It's an honour. I'm shaking your hand too long," Scott said, finally letting go and looking around at them. "Wow! This is awesome! Captain America!" A quick gesture towards Wanda, who was smiling just as Sadie was. "I know you, too. You're great!"

Sadie couldn't help but bring her hand to her face then, unable to contain her grin but also afraid to make their newest addition feel embarrassed as she stepped back towards the car where Sam and Bucky stood. Embarrassment didn't seem like an emotion Scott Lang comprehended though, and, to their surprise, he placed his hands on Steve's shoulders.

"Jheez," he muttered, and she had to laugh then- annoyed at herself that she couldn't keep her cool like the others.

"I know, right?" Sadie agreed, laughing even more at Steve's sideways glance at her. Scott laughed too, nodding in her direction and for some reason, she found herself much more endeared to him than in their first, confusing encounter.

"Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so... thinks for thanking of me," Scott said, before turning fully in hers and Sam's direction. "Hey, man- ma'am!"

"Hey, Ant-Man," Sadie grinned, as Sam opted for the much more suave:

"What's up, Tic Tac?"

"Uh, good to see you both," Scott said, awkwardly. "Look, what happened last time when I..."

"That humiliating affair," Sadie said, rolling her eyes.

"It was a great audition," Sam added. "But it'll... it'll never happen again."

"They tell you what we're up against?" Steve asked Scott, ever the leader, steering the conversation back to business.

"Something about some psycho-assassins?" Scott tried.

"That's one way of putting it," Sadie sighed.

"We're outside the law on this one," Steve concluded. "So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man."

Scott didn't seem at all phased by that as he said, "Yeah, well, what else is new?"

"We should get moving," Bucky said, and Sadie nodded.

"You bring my stuff?" she asked Wanda.

"In the van," she answered, with a smirk, as Sadie thanked her. "I got you."

"We got a chopper lined up," Clint added, but he was interrupted swiftly by alarm bells, and a German voice over the airport tannoy.

"They're evacuating the airport," said Bucky, who Sadie had come to realise must be fluent in practically every European language at this point.

"Stark," Sam said, voicing all of their thoughts, as Sadie heaved a breath, tapping her hand against her thigh to cover up for the fact that it was shaking.

"Stark?" Scott repeated, and she was the only one to acknowledge him with a grave nod.

"He's our first obstacle," Sadie said. "Most likely got a team with him too. Black Widow, War Machine, and um..."

"The Black Panther," Sam finished, when she struggled to find an apt description for T'Challa, and unaware of his code name.

"Yeah," she nodded. "At a minimum."

"We can expect Vision too," Clint added. "He was pretty pissed when we left."

A silence fell over the group then, Sadie's hand still tapping against her leg, itching to glow. She looked at Steve, who was suddenly unreadable to her, solid and professional in the face of a fight, not letting his team into any fear or anxiety he may have felt. Not letting even Sadie in.

He locked eyes with her, and she understood it, admired it. In that moment, they weren't Steve and Sadie, and they couldn't be, not until this was all over. They were Captain America and Aceso- Avengers, with a mission to finish. Steve turned the rest of the team, forever the image of a leader as he gave a simple order.

"Suit up."

. . .

. .

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Hi everyone! I hope this chapter wasn't too filler-like, and I also hope it wasn't too rushed, I'm just really wanting to move on to the airport battle next chapter since I'm like a whole chapter behind my original plan (because my writing is just so rambly- writing a whole ass 400 words of Sadie trying to figure out what to do with her damn sex hair and hickeys LOL what's wrong with me)

Anyways, our favourite power couple are back on good terms, because healthy relationships don't hold grudges!!!

I also just want to say, those of you who follow my message board will know this already, but I'm taking a semi-break from Wattpad. Still updating, but not really engaging too much besides that. That said, my responses to any comments/ messages might be a little slow, but you all know I will get back to them as I always try to, I love interacting with you all! 

That said, let me know your thoughts/feedback etc! See you next week!

-Amber.

(no banner since I deleted the app off my phone, and I don't have it on my laptop, but you all know what it looks like: sweetwines: fics, poetry, yada yada yada.)