CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

( A BUNCH OF ASSHOLES )

STEP FOUR: CAUGHT.

"Oh, my legs." Lena groans out sleepily as she stretches her arms above her head, looking almost cat-like. Quinn also stretched her legs out, placing them firmly on the pavement beneath her feet, yawning in unison with Linnea. She gave her a quick smile before Linnea rounded the car to be next to Lena. In Quinn's earshot, she can overhear the conversation playing between Lena and Linnea. "It's beautiful here." Linnea awes at the scenery. "We should come here when we're not in the academy anymore. As a vacation."

"Hate to think that my first time being in this city I'll be breaking into the Avengers headquarters," Lena replies, her voice coarse from sleep.

"Well, it's kind of badass, no?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, living this daring and exciting kind of life. It's thrilling, which makes it and you sexy."

Quinn rolls her eyes as she steps away from the car, her arms overlapping one another across her chest as she takes in the view of the tower. The tower contained the one thing she couldn't resist. And her dog. Her heart seemed to pump slowly as she thought of how long it's been since she's seen Rudolph or Steve - more so her dog. This was truly the first time she felt homesick and she was standing in the middle of the city she called home.

"I've never been in a place as big as this." Rome hums out as he looks at his surroundings, coming to stand beside Quinn, who is easily startled by his voice. She hadn't quite yet gotten used to Rome's friendly demeanor. She too took in the view along with him. Tall buildings pierced the deep purple sky as far as the eye could see, the pungent smell of trash night filled the air, and the sounds of police sirens in the distance reminded her that she was finally home. It had been a rough and tiresome five-hour trip, filled with Rome trapping them in with the smell of his gas and scrounging the seats for whatever money they could find for the toll booths that they encountered on their way here but they had finally reached their destination. Her eyes gazed upon the tall skyscraper across the street, her stare locked on to the giant "A" at the top of the building.

Her palms felt clammy as a sudden realization of them having to break in and steal a quinjet set in. She had thought about the plan millions of times while she sat strapped in the backseat, but to put the plan in motion was more intimidating than she expected. "I've gotta admit, Zombie," Rome drones as he steps beside her. "I could get used to the scenery here. I'm a little jealous." He expected a little thank you or even a nod from Quinn but he got nothing in return, just her gazing, puzzled up at the building. Her mind was focused on everything but her friends.

The thought of running into anyone and or getting caught seemed more prominent in her mind each time she ran through their plan. She couldn't let them all take the fall, and she definitely couldn't risk letting everyone know she wasn't where she was supposed to be. However, their situation became direr as the minutes passed. Each a moment that Blair could be brought to a new kind of pain. The guilt seemed to play in Quinn's mind as she thinks about abandoning the plan.

Rome clears his throat as he sees that she's clearly lost in thought. "So how do you propose we get up there?" he questions, placing his hands on his hips. Her mind draws an absolute blank. Although the wheels were turning in her mind, on the outside she looked statuesque, just staring at the big "A" that labeled the building. It seemed to taunt her with each passing second. "Uh," she hums, staring at the building, knowing that if they broke in they'd be caught within an instant. "I don't know." The words come out so fast that they don't sound coherent, making Rome's brows knit together in confusion.

However, as the sound played back in his head, combined with the panicked expression on her face as her eyes darted from one edge of the building to the other it became abundantly clear that she had staged them for failure. "What?" he scoffs, only for her to dismiss him with a wave of her hand. She points to the door across the street, the entrance of the whole building. "The...front door?" The statement comes off as a question to everyone but it's quickly followed by Quinn's actions as she nonchalantly strolls across the street, making a b-line for the door.

Rome shouts, his voice becoming loud as he cups his hands around his mouth, "Don't act like that was part of the plan!" Quinn merely blocks him out as she attempts to only concentrate on the issue at hand which is to get in. They brought tools, but not the kind to scale a building. A building that contains at least five of the most dangerous people inside. Not to mention the kind of security the flight deck would harbor.

As she reached the front door, a shiver ran down her spine, the large building seemed to emit a coldness to it. Or it was her nerves getting the best of her. "I knew this was a half-baked plan, but no one wants to listen to Rome." She can hear him groan from across the street while the other two whispers amongst themselves. She knew Lena and Linnea would keep the judgment to themselves, showing her only support through this, while Rome said whatever was on his mind. It was almost as if he said whatever comes to his mind so he would be less likable and more likely to get punched in the mouth. A brilliant strategy if that was the case because he was working on her last nerve.

Her hand gripped around the large door handle, pulling it back towards her only to be shown resistance. Her brows furrowed for a moment as she attempted to push with no avail. Shit. Was the only word that appeared in her mind as she repeatedly yanked on the door handle aggressively. "It's locked!" she hisses as she turns back towards them, hands still on the handle, yanking it as hard as she could. "Of course it's locked it's four in the morning!" Rome shouts, immediately getting a hush from Quinn before she goes back to yanking on the doors, hoping that they'll give in. Each attempt becoming more feeble than the last as the panic starts to set in.

If no one heard them by now, an alarm was bound to go off by the repeated jiggling of the doors. "Man, I bet we're on the security cameras looking stupid." Lena huffs out in discouragement as she sits on the ground, back pressed up against the building. Rome approaches the door, weaseling his way around Quinn's grip on the handle. Grabbing both of her arms he moves her away from the door, a silent way of telling her that he would give it a try. As she watches him do the same thing she tried she notices that he becomes more aggressive with each pull until his patience runs out and he begins kicking the door, the glass making a vibrant hum as it's assaulted.

"Five hours! Five hours just to be stopped by a stupid..." Rome yells, quickly latching on to the door handle and giving it a pull with all his might. "Door!" His hands slip from the handles, causing him to fall backward and land on his rear. He stares up at the door for a few quick seconds before he grunts in frustration, getting up on his feet to assault the door once again. However, Linnea steps in and redirects his anger, turning him around in the process and telling him to cool it.

"Stop, stop it." Quinn coos out, reaching out to give Rome a reassuring squeeze on his forearm. He stops only for a moment, his chest heaving from the anger that had built up inside of him. His eyes begin to water as he realizes that he wasted his shot at the academy for a flawed plan. His eyes dart from Quinn's face to her hand, looking at the phone in her hand. He remembers she said no phones, so why did she have hers out? A question he can't ask, before she simply states, "I got this."

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she moves away from her friends, her feet shuffling across the ground. She was breaking her one rule about keeping it between the four of them, there was no way it could just be the four of them to help Blair. She just knew he was going to be so disappointed in her. Her finger hesitantly hovers above the green call button. She lets out a deep sigh to calm her nerves before hitting the button and pressing the phone to her ear.

There are several long pauses between the rings that make her want to hang up and high tail it back to the academy, try to sneak back in as if nothing happened. Her mind kept circling back to Blair. How she could be in danger at the moment. On the fourth ring, the phone is picked up, perking her up and making her stomach flip.

"Hello?" Steve's groggy voice answers.

She smiles at the sound of his voice. "Hey, honey, did I wake you?" she tries to sound calm and relaxed as if they were going to have a normal conversation.

"Quinn?" he questions before a shuffling sound comes through the receiver. He groans into the phone. "It's oh four hundred. Is something wrong?"

Boy was he right. She puts on a cherry tone, however, the nerves make her voice quiver. "I, uh, have a little surprise for you. Can you come to the lobby?"

"What's in the lobby?" he questions after a moment, his voice now starting to seem more concerned.

"Nothing important. Just go down to the lobby and unlock the door." she anxiously states with an added nervous chuckle.

"Quinn." Steve's voice was stern almost authoritative, something that she's never heard him display towards her, she's only heard of people talking about his "Captain" voice. "What's in the lobby?"

Quinn opens her mouth to respond but she can't find the words, she felt like a fish out of water, floundering about. "Are you outside?" he questions, his voice raising an octave and if she hadn't known any better she would've said he sounded excited but the circumstances are a smidge different.

"Maybe?" she answers in a low tone as if she were testing the waters to see how upset he'd be.

"Are you -" he begins to say only for it to end in an exasperated sigh that makes her wince. "I'll be down in five."

She wastes no time in ripping the phone away from her ear, breathing heavily as the sinking feeling in her chest grew deeper and deeper as she replayed the tone of Steve's voice in her mind. It was a mix of disappointment, confusion, with just a hint of anger. It was enough to let her know that he wasn't pleased with her and that was the tipping point for her. Tears wanted to stream out of her, however, she wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't let her friends see her like this. Instead, she repressed her feelings, straightening her posture, and holding in a deep breath to steady her nerves before swirling around and reconvening with the group. Each of them held a questioning expression as she paced over towards them, clutching her phone to her chest. "Well, how'd it go? Who'd you call?" Rome asks, breaking the tension.

Quinn's shoulders go slack as she lets out a soft sigh, placing her phone in her pocket. "Turns out Steve isn't exactly a morning person," she states.

"Steve?" Linnea's voice is piqued with interest.

"Are we going to meet Captain America?" Lena chirps, her lips turning up into a smile, her whole body jittering with excitement. A usual reaction she received from people when she introduced them to Steve, however, she didn't find it amusing at the time knowing there was a bit of a tiff between them. "In a brief way, yes," Quinn responds, placing her hands on her hips and squeezing her eyes shut in annoyance. Not because Lena was starting to squeal at the fact she was going to meet an Avenger but of the way Steve was going to look at her when he laid eyes on her. She didn't know how to handle him when he was upset. They had never been in an argument before. Debates, all the time, but none that resulted in heated feelings.

"Oh my god! I bet he's so hot." Lena swoons like a schoolgirl, causing Linnea to furrow her brows. "Babe," Linnea hums out in a low tone, taking Lena's hand in hers. For a moment Rome glances over to them, before quickly averting his gaze while his arms crossed his chest, hurt.

"I'm sorry, I just - have you seen the muscles on him?" Lena drones on, turning to Quinn with a bright, adoring smile.

"I'm more than aware of his muscles." Quinn snaps. She rubs her head with the back of her palm, trying to ease her growing headache. She throws Lena an apologetic look, she hadn't meant to snap at her like that. The stress was starting to get to her. She offers her hand to Lena, pulling her up off the ground. "Just try to act normal," she informs the group but it's more so directed at Lena. "He gets a little flustered when he's around new people asking a million questions."

Lena merely shrugs, agreeing not to bombard Steve with questions. That was the last thing that needed to happen when he was already grumpy, it would only upset him even more, potentially ruining their relationship. If this hadn't already. She hadn't even begun to think of him being so upset with her that he would end things with her. She whispers several curses to herself as she thinks of it. Was this all worth it?

Her thinking is interrupted when she hears the clicking of a door being pushed open, releasing the cool air within the building. She turns and her heart melts with ease for a split second as she makes eye contact with Steve. It had been the first time in weeks that she had seen him in person and it didn't occur to her how much she missed him.

She could crumble on the spot just thinking about being here with him but, his sudden loss of eye contact to gaze in confusion at Rome, who was sulking to his right, Lena, who was vibrating with excitement beside him, and Linnea, who was disinterested in him due to the wave of jealousy she felt. When his eyes connect with hers once again, she places a crooked and nervous smile on her face. "Surprise?" her voice cracks due to the nerves, causing Steve's brows to raise.

"Well, I'm..." he trails off, trying to process what exactly was happening at the moment. It was a lot to take in this early in the morning. "Surprised, yes. And at a loss of words," he lets out a sigh, running his hand over his face trying to wake himself up. She admires this for a split moment, noting how adorable he looked sleepy. She hadn't seen him in the morning before. At least that she remembered. "What are you doing here? Who are these people?" he questions, getting straight to the point while pointing his index finger at her friends. "I'm Lena, this is my friend Linnea," Lena exclaims happily, flashing him a dazzling grin as Linnea groans in frustration at the mention of her title. Steve gives them a quick wave, pressing his lips together in a tight, and joyless, smile.

"And I'm Rome," Rome speaks up in a cold, extending his right hand while keeping his left tucked across his chest. Steve takes his hand, shaking it while giving him a fraud genuine smile. If only he knew what hell he caused Quinn. Steve then turns his attention towards his partner, the same tight-lipped, unpleased, look on his face that he had given her friends. "They're fellow cadets at the academy," Quinn states, making her way towards him, lightly gripping his upper arm, noting how tone it was. It made her want to collapse in infatuation. She clears her throat, trying to suppress her wants towards Steve. "Can we talk inside?" she asks politely, a light blush crossing her cheeks.

Once again, Steve's brows raise in question, before pulling the door open from behind him, ushering in the cadets. She waits until the last cadet is through the door to take her turn, making sure to place a serious expression on her face instead of a beaming one as she looks at Steve. It was going to be hard to act tough and stern to him. "I need your help," she states, as she's beside him with the door closing behind them.

"My help?" Steve questions, his voice echoing throughout the lobby. "With what?"

"I found Blair's last location," Quinn replies, making Steve's eyes go wide. He quickly steps over to her, hushing her as he looks around and up towards the empty building. It was as if he didn't want her to mention Blair's name in the Avengers tower, which was strange since this was her home. She shoots him a questioning look, to which he shrugs off, telling her not to worry about it. "What?" He replies to her statement.

"It's true. She's somewhere in Italy," she pulls up EDGE, showing him her location. "I-if we go and if we hurry we can try to find her," she states, starting to trip over her own words in her mind as she thinks of how urgent the situation was and how icy Steve's gaze was. "Sh-she could be hurt or in trouble and we need to get a rescue mission going on. Stat."

Steve grunts, his lips pressing into a thin line for only a moment before looking over her shoulder towards the other cadets. "Fellas, could you excuse us?" he asks, noting that there was a small cafe that they were more than welcome to sit at to which they begin to head over to. "Come with me." he beckons in a low tone, before taking long strides towards the elevators. She follows in suit, a few paces behind.

The ride in the elevator is quiet for a few moments, letting them simmer in the awkward silence created by her presence at the tower. She glances up at him for a second, noticing that his mind was flying all over the place as he glared forward out of the glass elevator. "Are you mad that I'm here?" she says in a meek voice, biting her bottom lip.

"I don't know how to feel about you being here," he responds, his voice sharp and hard, a tone she's never heard from him. Panic starts to flow through her veins. She didn't want him to be angry with her. She did this to help someone, to help their friend.

"I-I came back to help Blair. I wouldn't want to leave if I had a choice but you made it sound like I didn't have a choice," she notes in a rushed voice. It wasn't her fault. This was the only rational thing to do since he wasn't doing anything about it.

"Quinn, there are things beyond your control that you can't place in your hands just because I'm being miffed about information," he responds in the same heated tone as before, completely ignoring her eyes as he kept staring straight forward. The elevator stops with a ding, alerting them that they had arrived at the floor Steve had pushed. She follows him down the dimmed corridor, trying to keep pace next to him.

"You could jeopardize your opportunity at the academy. This was really big for you," he lectures, in a hushed time that's barely above a whisper. Quinn's brows furrow. Even though she had left the academy on a hunch, didn't mean she was in the wrong. She knew what she was doing was right. It wasn't Steve's right to judge her. "Oh, like you've never disobeyed orders before," she replies, her volume at a normal level but it still forces Steve to hush her once again. Quinn recoils her head back confused but mainly offended. "Did you just -"

"Shh!" Steve hushes her more abrupt this time, turning around towards her. "You're not allowed to be in the building, not this early. You have to be quiet."

She merely huffs out a compliant sigh, before nodding her head while crossing her arms across her chest. She drove five hours to come here and be shoved aside by Steve. It wasn't exactly what she had been expecting. She was more so hoping for him to jump on board with them and he would take charge of the mission. Instead, she was being lectured about actually being here. She stood solemnly behind him as he places his hand over a touchscreen pad next to a thick oak door. The metallic machine looked out of place, almost too modern compared to the door. The screen lit up green, then a loud thunk came from the door, causing Quinn to jump at the sound. Steve muttered out an apology as he twisted the doorknob open.

Quinn couldn't remember how exactly it had happened but one second she was standing up and the next she was laying flat on the ground pinned by an unbearable weight, which she soon realized was Rudolph. She suppresses a tiny giggle as the golden retriever licks her face excitedly while letting out tiny whines to show how much he had missed her. "Hi bubs! Did you miss mommy?" she cooed out, only making him whine even louder.

Steve shot them both a warning look before he jutted his head towards inside the room for Quinn to follow. She heaved Rudolph off of her frame, scraping off the golden fur he had shed on to her dark clothes before she followed him in. The door closed behind her with a soft click, as she entered what she could only assume was Steve's apartment. It was more modern than what she had pegged him to be in, but perhaps he didn't have a choice when moving into the tower that Tony designed. He didn't really have much of a say in what happened to him since moving to New York.

She did admire the view that the living room provided, the whole north wall was nothing but windows that cast the dim morning light that was starting to peek around the buildings, casting the room in a deep orange. Rudolph had made himself comfortable and at home on the grey sectional, placed in the center of the room. It looked like he had taken control of the fuzzy tan blanket that had been splayed across the cushion in an attempt to save the couch from any damages. She pats the dog's head, ruffling with his silky smooth ears, before padding her way down the hallway where Steve had disappeared to. It was strange to see bare walls in his apartment, granted it wasn't like they had been apartment shopping for him, she figured Stark would've hired an interior decorator.

She had heard him mention that the apartment S.H.I.E.L.D. had supplied him with in DC was fully decorated to feel like home to him. This must've been the complete opposite, hence why he had resentment towards this place. She rounded a corner to where she could hear him shuffling about, peering into what was his bedroom. His bed was the biggest bed she had ever laid her sights on. She could practically drool at the sight of it after sleeping in a twin bed and sharing a room with someone for the past few weeks. The plush bed looked like heaven to her.

Steve was on the opposite wall, closest to the door, shuffling through his dresser drawers in search of something. She was puzzled by this but attempted to lighten up the mood by leaning against the door frame. "How come you never told me you lived in a luxury apartment, here? I would've suggested date nights here instead of fancy restaurants or movies in my crappy apartment." she teases, letting out a soft chuckle to catch his attention. It didn't work.

In turn, he merely hummed at her remark, concentrating on whatever he was looking for. When he stopped sifting through his drawer, he had a thick manilla folder clutched in his hand. He wasted no time in handing it over to her. She perked her brows up in confusion as she gazed down at the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on the top of it and the bold letters that stated "top secret". "What's this?" she questions in a shaky tone, her eyes not leaving the folder as Steve instructs her what to do.

"Open it."

She hesitates for a moment, thumbing the edge of the folder before flipping it open and being ambushed by a photo of a man paper clipped to the side of the folder with several loose papers under it. The man looked familiar but she couldn't place a name to the face. On the other side of the folder was a pure white cover sheet on top, in bold dark letters, the words "Winter Soldier" was etched across it. The name rang a bell but once again she couldn't figure out how.

A piercing headache shot through her head, making her wince as she flipped through the report of the individual who was linked to Hydra. "I don't understand." she huffs, sounding exhausted as she plants herself on the side of the bed, still reading all the reports of the individual. "Earlier this year Hydra corrupted S.H.I.E.L.D.," he states, placing himself beside her on the bed.

"I know, you don't need to remind me," she replies to the sensitive subject in a monotone voice.

"They sent an assassin out for me after I became a fugitive. He was known as just a ghost story, after living decade after decade, killing for Hydra. They called him the Winter Soldier," Steve continues, watching Quinn flip through the pages inquisitively, soaking in all the information. "But I knew him as Bucky."

She stops reading the report at the sound of his name, turning to look up at Steve, whose eyes had become sullen and full of regret. "Bucky? Your friend from the war?" she questions, becoming even more confused than before. She starts flipping through the report once again, just to make sure that this was the same person they were talking about. Sure enough, she came across his enlistment form from nineteen thirty-nine, almost ninety years ago. "That's impossible," she says breathlessly.

"Quinn, I'm on a team with a man who turns into a green maniac and a Norse God from legends. Nothing is impossible. You should know that." he replies with a faint smirk playing on his lips. However, Quinn fails to notice the smirk as she's fully engrossed in the file in her hands."I thought he was -"

"Dead? Yeah, so did everyone else but once I saw him, I knew it couldn't be anyone else." Steve responds in a disdained tone. "Same voice, same eyes, different Bucky."

She looks up at him, noticing that his eyes were filled with sorrow, lost, and longing for something familiar to him before he woke up seventy years in the future. He gazes down at her, displaying a small smile for a half-second, that makes her heart skip a beat. She buries her nose back into the file, hoping he didn't seem the blush on her cheeks, but giving the soft chuckle he gave it didn't work.

"How did he survive for this long without aging? He's got to be almost as old as you." Quinn continues, skimming the tips of her fingers along with the enlistment form that his friend had completed, feeling every divet that the pen had scratched in. "That I'm not sure about. We're trying to find that out," he responds, taking the file from her hands and clutching it in his. "After S.H.I.E.L.D. fell an old friend of mine was able to gather enough intel from the Hydra files to piece all of this together."

"And what does Blair have to do with this?" The question comes off as crass, her voice pointed as she raises a questioning brow up at him. Steve places his arms across his chest, being careful not to drop the file in his grasp. "She apparently had a history with Bucky," he answers coolly. "Well, the Winter Soldier, not Bucky," he adds on for good measure, leaning up against the dresser before turning to place the file back in its hiding spot.

"What's the difference?" she questions, making Steve turn around on his heel.

"Hydra brainwashed him. A lifetime of killing for them and then probably wiping it out from his system. He couldn't remember me," he replies, pacing back towards the bed and placing himself next to her. He gently sweeps and out of place lock of her hair behind her ear. The mere touch of his fingertips sent electricity through her body that made her nerves seize. She couldn't move, she didn't want to move. But she had to place her mission before her feelings. "Just like you couldn't." he softly says, his eyes becoming apologetic as he thinks of what Hydra had done to her in the past just by being close to him. She scoffs at the comparison.

"So him and Blair are what? Torture buddies? Was she corrupted by Hydra too?"

"No, not at all. She grew up in a nice family of scientists and a couple of brothers," he answers. He pauses for a moment, trying to find the best words to explain the situation. "Until one day they were all killed. She was laying underneath the bed, hiding from the killer," he continues in a pointed tone as if it were common knowledge.

Quinn's eyes widen at the newfound information. She had thought her situation was horrible but to have your whole family killed in front of you, to be the sole member of your family left, that must be hell. "You should read her file. I'm pretty sure it was Buck." Steve sighs out as if he had just given up on hope, standing up to calm his nerves.

"And you just sent her out to find him? To justify her vendetta?"

"She has strict orders to only capture, not kill," Steve replies, earning a frown from her.

"Okay, well, I'm on your bed as living proof that people don't follow orders," she justifies her statement, pointing towards her chest with the palm of her hand. Steve gives her a lopsided smile as he rejoins her on the bed. "Maybe we should go out and find her before she kills him or before he kills her." she begins listing off but Steve interrupts her.

"He wouldn't -" he snaps, but stops himself as he gazes into her wide eyes. He pauses, once again at a loss of words. His emotions were swirled as he tried to process her questions. After taking a deep breath he looks at her once again, his expression a mix of stern yet soft. "Look, I put my faith on the shoulders of those around me and I ask them to not destroy it. So far it's worked."

Quinn's brows furrow. "But S.H.I.E.L.D., and Hydra, and Bucky," she lists off, her voice sounding rushed before she once again places her palm on her chest. "And me. We destroyed your faith or we should've. Are you sure Blair isn't going to destroy your faith in her?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, yes, they've made me lose some faith, especially with everything I've been through - everything you've been through," he explains nodding his head in agreement. "But I have not lost my faith in you and I'm not losing my faith in Bucky. He's in there, just like you were."

"I-I couldn't remember -"

"But you're here now. You gave me a chance even after what you had been told about me and how much danger I put you in," he continues, placing his large hands on each of her head, cradling her face. His thumb stroked her cheek. The warmth from them made her feel comforted and safe, even though the bruises that Rome bestowed upon her begged her to pull away. "And I'm lucky you did. I'm so lucky because I'm the happiest I've been out of that ice." he places his forehead flush against hers, smiling widely, which she imitates to an extent.

The absence of his hands as he pulls away wakes her up from the dream state she was in. She looks up at him confused to only see hurt in his eyes, the first time she's ever seen him vulnerable like this. It pulled at her heartstrings. "But he didn't get that chance, he didn't have the time to go through everything we went through to create what we have now. I need to give him that chance and Blair's the only one willing to go out and find him," he explains, wrapping his hand around hers, fully engulfing it in size. "I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

She absentmindedly bites her lower lip, looking deep into his eyes. This obviously meant the world to him. She couldn't blame him. It was his childhood friend and the only thing in the world that would make him feel more at home, more comfortable with being in the present. However, she had brought along Lena, Linnea, and Rome in the hopes of saving her friend, to return the debt she had to Blair. When she broke it to them they would hate her.

She didn't just jeopardize her spot in the academy, she put all of them at risk of expulsion due to her selfishness. She didn't need to drag them in but, she had. Now, Steve was asking her to call it off. It should be easy to say no but something within her stops her. Conflicted and solemn she slowly nods her head, earning a small smile from Steve.

Once again, he cradles her face, catching her off guard as he pulls her lips to his. She immediately melts into the kiss, pouring all her feelings into it as best she could as she hadn't kissed him in quite some time. She had missed the high feeling she got from his lips. As he positions himself to get a better angle to deepen the kiss a white-hot feeling shoots through her like lightning. She immediately breaks the kiss, jumping back a bit as her fingers coming to her lip which Rome had busted.

"Ow, careful." she yelps, causing Steve's brows to raise, an apologetic look spreading on his face. "I'm sorry, I forgot," he apologizes, extending his hand to rest on her left cheek, stroking the soft skin but being careful to avoid the tender purple skin near her eye. Although, she had escaped from the academy and that did upset him, her being hurt like this, being singled out just by association to him, and having someone lay in on her, wouldn't have happened if he were there.

A pang of guilt cuts into his chest, but he hides this under a small smile. "I have missed you though," he states in a soft voice, trying to lighten the mood. It works for a split second but then he watches Quinn raise her brows before letting out a depressed sigh. "Yeah, well, I'm sure I'll get expelled for pulling this maneuver. So I'll be home." she huffs out, her eyes shifting down towards the plush white comforter, thinking about how this could possibly be the biggest mistake she's ever made.

"Hey, you tried," he coos, trying to encourage her. "You came home because your friend was in trouble. You are the most loyal person I know." Even with his comforting words, she still averts her eyes from him. He can see the tears starting to form in her eyes even from where he was sitting. He hated seeing her like this, even if she did put herself in this position. "We'll get through this together." He begins rubbing her back, feeling her stifle back heaving breaths in her chest.

"You're not disappointed?" she chokes out, her voice quivering the process as she tries her best not to cry in front of him.

"No. I'd do the same thing, you know that," he softly replies. Even though she knew he was being supportive, she knew she messed up. And there was no way she could go back to how things were. This was the biggest opportunity for her and she threw it away for an obstacle that was too big for her to achieve. She clutches onto the blanket trying to repress the sob that she wanted to belt out. Even though Steve's presence was supposed to be comforting, she felt as if she were suffocating. She held in a deep breath before shakily releasing it, and glancing towards Steve.

His eyes were flooded with worry, and she couldn't understand why but she didn't appreciate the sympathy he was giving her. She half expected him to be more furious. The only person she could feel let down by was herself. "I better get back down there to tell them," she says with a sniff, trying to cover up her internalized pain with a smile. Steve purses his lips, letting out a huff of air, feeling as if he had taken all the wind out of Quinn's sails. But he presses on as she wanted. "Let me walk you out." he offers and he hops off the side of the bed, holding out his hand for her to take.

She wipes her cheek against her shoulder, wincing at the pain her bruise caused her before reaching up for him. In doing so, he pulled her in towards his torso, wrapping his arms around her waist in a tight embrace, while placing his cheek to the top of her head. The small action made her melt into his touch. A few tears leaked out of her eyes, staining his shirt with wet blotches as he whispered that everything was going to be all right and that they'd figure something out for her.

To break the embrace made her feel small and weak once again but she had to put on a brave face. After all, her friends were waiting for her. She straightened her posture and gave Steve one quick nod before he leads her out of the apartment, but not before giving Rudolph one last pat and making him a promise that she'd be back for him.

Steve careened his head around the ajar door, peaking out in the hallway, his head shifting from side to side. She plants her hand on her hip, smirking just a smidge as she looks at him. Being overly cautious as always. Ever since the incident with Hydra he had always been the one to caution on the side of err when she was with him. To the point where it seemed overbearing at times but she didn't mind being doted on by him. Just spending time with him was enough. Even if this time it was brief. When he gave her the all-clear, she ventured out into the hallway with him, making sure to quietly latch the door behind her.

As she took her place beside him in the elevator she let out another deep sigh or regret that perked his interest and made him look towards her, noticing that her bottom lip was protruding out further than it was with her cut. "I feel so stupid," she admits, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Don't be. You were only being a good friend," he comforts softly. He could see that she was beating herself up harshly for what she had done. Even though it was extreme she didn't need to blame herself for everything. If anything, he was also to blame. He realized that and tried to comfort her further. "I'm sorry for being secretive about it. It's my fault really."

She scoffs at his statement. She knew he was only trying to be polite and sympathize with her but she'd rather kick herself than have someone pity her. Compared to what she had done, which she could only assume was breaking at least four laws, Steve was a saint. "No, it's mine. I have been told I act a little rash when I'm emotional." she hums out flustered, leaning back against the cool backside of the elevator.

Steve merely nods his head, knowing that trying to argue anything further would only result in her lashing out at him. He didn't want to make her day worse than what it was. He had already ruined it. He briefly touches the back of his neck as he clears his throat, catching her attention. "Speaking of emotional," he begins, breaking the silence. "The mission Blair took is a need to know mission. As in the others...like...Avengers wise...don't need to know," he trails off. For a moment, she sees a light pink hue across his cheeks.

It was almost as if he seemed embarrassed to tell her about the mission. In reality, this was the first mission he had ever opened up to her about. She wasn't going to let go of this trust. Perhaps he'd share even juicier details of current, future, and past missions. She presses her thumb and index finger to her lips, running them across her mouth as if she were zipping them together. "My lips are sealed," she smirks, earning a beaming smile in return from him which made the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter.

The sudden chime of the elevator brings her back to reality, making the tingly and content sensation in her stomach plummet into a wave of anxiety. If only she could've stayed with Steve in the elevator for a moment longer, perhaps she wouldn't have to tell her friends the bad news. Steve gives her hand a squeeze of encouragement, letting her know that at least one person was in her corner.

She takes a deep breath and begins to tread over to her friends, who had gathered at a small, round black table in what appeared to be the lobby area of a cafe. She perks her brow in interest, looking at the cafe with two workers behind the bar. How had she never noticed this before? She gazes back towards her friends, who looked out of place in their dark uniforms, Rome even sporting a knife as he cut into the croissant in his hand. Lena sticks her hand up, waving it in the air as she sets her sights on her. She nervously gives back a small wave as she sheepishly approaches them.

Being so close to them felt awkward as if she knew they were never going to be the same again after she broke the news. At first, she thinks she's unable to tell them the truth, even so far as to coming up with a faade as to why they had to stop right now, but looking on to each of their delighted and relaxed faces she couldn't. They deserved to know the truth.

"Quinn! My god, they just opened up the cafe for business. These strudels are amazing." Lena beams, as Quinn finally approaches the table. She takes a hearty bite of the strudel before speaking. "Did you know we got this stuff for free?" Her words are muffled as she speaks.

"Lena, it's probably because we look like we're going to rob the place." Rome criticized twirling the knife around his fingers. He had a point. And the way he was just freely wielding a knife of that nature out in public made him seem like a serial killer, solidifying his statement. Quinn nodded, agreeing with Rome.

"Anything on your friend?" Linnea asks, causing the blood in Quinn's veins to freeze. It wasn't like there was more to shoot the shit about, that was the reason they were all here. It just seemed so hopeless knowing they were this close to having their plan succeed. Her cheeks become flushed with frustration, she taps the table with her knuckles, relishing in the calm for now before she broke it.

"Yeah...about that," she begins. Already, Rome has let off an audible scoff at this, like he already knew what was coming. She watches as the relaxed and excited faces of Lena and Linnea become drained and full of dread. "I'm really sorry guys, it looks like she won't be needing saving from us any time soon," she states, hoping that this would suffice as a gentle let down. Unfortunately, it seems to go over Lena's head, who quickly smiles at her.

"Oh, is it like an Avengers deal?" Lena questions, and before Quinn can even answer Linnea chimes in with, "Are they going to rescue her?"

"Actually, it's a covert mission," she answers, watching their faces drain of all hope once again. It felt like a blow to her gut. "If anyone goes to save her, we risk blowing her cover which means she could be in danger,"

Before she can explain further, Rome interjects angrily. "How do you know she's not already in danger?" His voice is dripping with skepticism. It honestly annoyed her. She was already stressed and feeling guilty for what she had done irrationally. Instead of lashing out, she takes a deep breath, calming her nerves to a point where she wouldn't tell in the lobby of the Avengers tower - she didn't need Steve to get in trouble for them. "Look, Rome, we can't go save her. We don't have the tools available to do so."

"But they do! The Avengers do!" Rome aggressively points towards Steve, who was standing further behind her. Not close enough to hear every word that was being exchanged but not far enough to not overhear Rome's outburst, earning a pointed glare from the Avenger. She returns her attention to Rome, who looked red in the face as if he was going to throw a temper tantrum. "Isn't that why we're here? To get a quinjet?" he questions, stabbing the table with his knife, an audible thud echoed throughout the lobby.

"It's not possible. The moment that thing is in the air, we risk becoming a threat," she states, shaking her head.

"A threat?" he scoffs.

"We'd be stealing Avengers property. They'd have no choice other than to bring us down with force or if we could get away we'd be put on a watchlist," she explains, panic running through her voice as she speaks. "I'm not ready to live my life on the run...ever."

This statement seems to internalize with Rome. He began settling back down afterward, knowing this was a losing battle. "We're going to get expelled," he remarks in a low tone, his eyes filled with a rage she hadn't seen before. "How does that make you feel?"

Lena and Linnea begin whispering amongst themselves at the mere mention of expulsion. Quinn in turn rolls her eyes at Rome. "No, you're not," she states, holding her hands up to calm the group down as she looked over them individually, giving them all a curt glance of affirmation as she thought about the words that were going to slip from her mouth. "I'm going to talk with Yvette - the director of the sanction in this division. I'm going to make sure they don't expel you," she informs them, her tone is stern yet comforting as if she actually cared about what happened to them. She did. She meant every word.

"She's not going to listen. We broke the law, Quinn." Rome argues, causing her to snap her head in his direction and give him a challenging glare. "Oh she'll listen," she states. "Remember, Rome, I have powerful friends." She points up at the sign above the cafe, making them all stare in the same direction. In bold letters across the top of the cafe stated, "Stark Coffee".

For a moment, it seemed like they were full of hope once again. It didn't fade in Lena and Linnea's eyes, but Rome seemed rather skeptic about this information. However, he sighed and tossed his hands up in defeat. There wasn't much to argue with knowing that in the same building as them were the Avengers. He wasn't big enough to talk to someone like Tony Stark. "Let's get going then." he hums out in a defeated tone, pushing his chair back with a skid and a god awful sound that made Quinn wince. Lena and Linnea follow suit, giving her a pitiful gaze before walking past her. Her chest began to ache as she watched them walk away disheartened, but she felt the need to escort them out, ignoring Steve's stare as she passed him.

The cool autumn air struck her as soon as she exited the building, sending a shiver down her spine. She could feel her sinuses starting to act up with the drastic temperature change. Virginia was definitely warmer than New York this time of year. The sun had started to peak over the building, casting large shadows through the streets where a few taxis and cars drove through. She stopped in her tracks as Rome abruptly stops on the curb of the road, peering back at her. Lena and Linnea also look towards her.

It was as if she were the black sheep of the group. She squirmed under his assessing gaze. "Are you coming back with us?" he questions, blocking the little ray of sun that was starting to shine in his eyes with the back of his hands. She purses her lips, before looking towards the ground and shaking her head. "I better not, it'll be much more efficient to plead my case up here with Yvette than down there where everyone hates me," she answers with an apologetic and awkward grin.

"But your stuff?" Lena speaks up.

"I'll figure out how to get it back," she dismisses with a wave of her hand as if her belongings meant nothing to her. They all exchange glances to one another, each of them short-lived and awkward, leaving a small trace of blush on her cheeks as she begins to feel flustered by the half-hearted attention she was receiving. She couldn't blame them for disliking her or being upset. She cost their careers for nothing. And a measly promise that she may be able to save them didn't help, especially since every turn, they faced during this mission was disastrous. Linnea's shoulders slump as she lets out a sigh, before placing a hand on her shoulder. Quinn looked at her with confusion before she spoke up. "Well, even though it was a bust I think it was a fun trip," she smirks, clapping her shoulder twice, letting her gaze linger on her face before turning to cross the street.

"It was good to meet you, Quinn." Lena quickly states, also offering a short smile before bowing out and sprinting across the street to hold hands with Linnea as they searched for the car. For a moment her heartaches, seeing her friends that welcomed her with open arms to an academy where everyone essentially hated her, turn away from her. Two burnt bridges that she didn't want to turn to complete ash. They didn't even let her get in a word edgewise before bolting away. She fiddles with the sore spot on her lip with her teeth as she tries to bite her bottom lip.

She half jumped when Rome decided to stand next to her, blocking part of the sun off of her face. "You know, for a zombie, you're not half bad. I'm only saying this because I have hope you'll get us back in. It may be small but I have hope." Rome states, his hands twisted around his back, looking like a professional and strict drill sergeant. She examines his features, his blue eyes that flickered with content mixed with mischief, his hair haphazardly slicked back, the coy, shit-eating, smirk that was always used on her.

At the start of this endeavor, she hated him, but now she felt indebted to him after he helped her back at the gas station and helping her escape. He was the reason she felt horrible for sending them back to the academy empty-handed. "And if I can't? Will you hate me?" she questions, moving her gaze towards the SUV across the street that held her other friends.

"Absolutely," he responds, not missing a beat and forcing her to groan.

"You know Captain America is literally a few feet away inside. I could literally tell him that you did this to my face and yours would quickly look similar." she lightly threatens, matching the smirk on his face. The threat causes him to let out a chuckle. When she turns to look at him she's thrown off by the look in his eyes as he gazes at her. It's endearing. Not the gaze someone would give to the person they were pining after but the kind someone would give their best friend after saying something profound and life-changing. As he begins to strut in the middle of the street, leaving her alone on the curb is when she really felt alone. "I hope you have powerful friends, Cruise," he calls out to her, walking backward to the SUV so he can still look at her.

"You of all people should know I do. But just in case, you're welcome to walk into Apple to berate me," she replies with a smirk, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'll remember that!" His voice was fading, she could still hear his thick accent. Watching them all leave her was starting to dishearten her. It almost felt as if there was a stabbing pain in her chest as she watched Rome become further and further away. Her eyes threatened to spill the tears that had started to build up but she held them in. Her breath came out in heavy huffs, the cool air showing billows smoke coming from her lungs. "I'll catch you later!" she shouts, holding up her arm and waving towards them as Rome finally crossed over to the SUV. "Good luck!" she adds, waving her hand excitedly, earning waves from Lena and Linnea in the SUV as well as Rome who had just opened the back door to crawl into.

As she watches them drive away, she continues to wave, a few tears escaping and leaving trails of warmth down her cheeks. Although she was happy to be home, she'd miss seeing them every day. And thinking about the opportunity to have Rome be her friend at the academy made her chest ache even more. However, this was for the best. She should've never left. Her mother needed her, along with Rudolph. And now she had disappointed Steve. Something she had never thought she could do.

Speaking of which, as she turned towards the building she noticed that he stood a few feet away from her. His hands were placed idly in his pockets, as his eyes searched hers finding nothing but pain. As he approached her, he noticed that her jaw tightened, causing him to stop just a couple of feet away from her.

She obviously wanted to be left alone. He just wanted to comfort her but he knew that she needed some space in order to heal from this. He lets out a soft sigh, looking desperately at her as she continued to if ire his gaze by looking at the concrete sidewalk. "Why don't you head home, catch up on some sleep? I'll drop Rudolph off later." he offers, hoping this would perk her interests, which judging by the stifled sobs, it had. "We'll talk about it when you've got a clear head and some well-deserved rest."

She nods her head, turning on her heel. She gives him one pitiful look, causing his heart to hurt. Her face was swollen, her eyes red from tears, with dark circles under them, aside from her puffed out black eye. He wanted to go back to fix this but he knew he couldn't. Instead, Quinn just looked at him as if he was studying his actions while feeling sorry for her. She shakes her head one last time at him before putting both of her hands in her pockets and walking off in the opposite direction. She had failed.