Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: So here's story three of my trilogy. I have no idea how long this fic will be, but who knows. Anyway, please don't forget to review!

Chapter 1: Dating Can Lead To Other Adventures:

After that date and kiss with Cap, I couldn't help feeling like I was like living in a dream.

Most of the time, I found it hard to believe that I was dating my childhood idol. But when it came down to it, I liked him for so many more reasons than that –he was sweet, kind, caring, courteous, and fun to be with. And even though he was a little shy when it came to being around women in general, Cap was openly affectionate towards me; he was always willing to hold my hand in public, and even put his arm around me as we walked down the sidewalk or into a building together.

I had expected a lot of things to change between us, but the only thing that did was that we were steadily growing closer to one another.

Before my second capture by Loki, Cap and I had been friends, but there'd been a sort of unspoken barrier that sort of kept us at a distance from one another. Now that we were dating, the wall had vanished, and we could be more open with each other, which felt very liberating to the both of us. It was rather nice, being able to look over at him and know that we could openly talk about our feelings, as well as anything else.

But of course, like with any other couple, dating had a few bumps along the way.

Bump number one was that I found it both funny and weird that Cap sometimes wanted to hear more stories about me growing up idolizing Captain America. I think he sometimes felt that I liked dating him because of that childhood worship, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Even though I would always admire Captain America's bravery and determination to do what was right for the sake of the world, I loved Steve Rogers for being the good, caring man that he was. Those points I always made that very clear whenever I saw a gleam of doubt in Cap's eyes.

Bump number two had been minor in comparison, and kind of funny when I looked back on it. The 'bump' in our budding relationship had been when Cap tended to apologize when he thought he was doing something wrong on our dates, because he was inexperienced with that sort of thing.

The first time we were at the movie theater, Cap watched guys put their arms around their girlfriend's shoulders, and tried to do the same, but immediately moved away whenever I tried to lean against him. He thought I didn't approve of his gesture, and rather than risk me getting angry at him, Cap instead removed his arm and shifted uncomfortably during the entire movie. It wasn't until after the film that we managed to talk about it, and to our relief, we were able to clear the whole thing up. Now I had someone warm to snuggle against whenever we saw a movie, either at home or at the theater.

Kissing was a more delicate matter, and could easily fall under 'bump number two'.

Back in his day, couples didn't openly (and overly) display their affections, because it 'wasn't acceptable.' In modern times, Cap had seen a lot of couples openly making out in public whenever we were on the street, and was embarrassed about it. Personally, I was okay with the occasional kiss between couples in public, but too much affection tended to annoy me.

In the end, we came to the agreement that we wouldn't be that open about our feelings for each other in public. However, after the first few times we'd kissed, Cap quickly developed the habit of leading me to a secluded spot, where he could steal a kiss away from prying eyes.

I'd once noted that Cap's lips looked very soft –and from first-hand experience, I could very happily brag that I'd been right. I could also happily say that even though Cap's experience with kissing had been almost nonexistent, he was fairly good at it. Of course, I gave him ample opportunity to practice.

And so our days went, routinely during the day, but up-in-the-air during the evenings. Daylight hours were spent teaching Cap about the world, like always, but now that we were dating, lessons tended to go a bit slower than usual –mostly because we tended to distract one another by brushing fingers against one another, or leaning extra-close when observing something on the computer. Occasionally, our eyes would meet, and a quick kiss would be stolen, followed by several minutes of me snuggling against Cap's shoulder while we happily sat on the couch. Then it would be back to business, until the whole thing started over again.

At night, we put lessons aside so that we could relax and unwind. Mostly, it was the two of us going out to dinner, to the movies, or for walks through Central Park. Ordinarily, I'd have been terrified of going into the Park at night, but with Cap walking beside me, I felt perfectly safe.

And some nights, we had a little fun with a few friends…

"So, how's it going?" Natasha asked, a glass of red wine in her hands as she leaned back on the couch in Tony's living room. "You and the Captain sure look cozy."

I shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. "We're fine."

Honestly, I had a feeling that Natasha, as well as my other SHIELD friends, knew a lot more than they were letting on. I mean, for a bunch of spies who had promised to keep a super-close eye on me, they'd been extremely good about keeping their distance. I hadn't seen a bit of Natasha, Barton, or Phil in the few weeks I'd been dating Cap. In fact, the only reason she and Barton were here at all was because they were "passing through" on another one of their jaunts around the world.

Of course, now that I had Cap with me almost constantly, as well as JT securely in my pocket and Natasha's bracelet around my wrist, my friends had probably decided that I'd be fine. But given that SHIELD was a world-class spy organization headed by Director Fury, I wouldn't be surprised if they had other ways of keeping a subtle eye out for me.

Natasha smirked and took a sip of wine. "Yeah, uh huh," she replied, eying me closely. "You know, I never figured Rogers to be the openly affectionate type. But when I saw you guys holding hands as you got off the elevator…"

Pepper gave a soft chuckle as I blushed. "It's a good thing the guys are downstairs, going over Tony's new Iron Man suit, or else we'd have two people sitting here, looking embarrassed," she teased me.

"Not funny," I grumbled, taking a drink of sparkling cider.

Both of them laughed, but I didn't take it personally. I think they were super-glad that Cap and I had gotten together, and it wouldn't surprise me if Tony had a private bet going on with someone about the whole thing.

"Yeah, yeah, so you're happy I'm dating Cap," I said, rolling my eyes. "I get it."

Pepper snickered. "Actually, I don't think you do. Tony was this close," she held up a hand with her forefinger and thumb a tiny bit apart, "to locking you two in the same room together until you both confessed how much you liked each other."

That didn't surprise me. "Let me guess," I slyly replied, "You wanted to do the same thing; didn't you?"

Pepper merely gave me an innocent smile while Natasha snorted. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, so it took a while. But we're dating now, so does that make you happy?"

Natasha shrugged. "Only if it makes you happy." She stretched a little and curled her legs up under her on the chair. It made her looked like a content panther: deceptively lazy, but still very dangerous.

My spy/assassin friend swirled her wine in her glass and pretended to examine it. "Of course, I hope he realized that if he hurts you in any way, he's got to answer to me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," a male voice said, coming up behind me.

"Steve!" Pepper exclaimed in surprise as I whirled around, almost spilling the contents of my glass. "How'd you sneak in here?" That's when I realized we hadn't heard the elevator arrive, and wondered the same thing.

Cap shrugged. "Bruce and Tony were starting to talk to Barton about archery weaponry. Since I wasn't really interested, I decided to head back upstairs."

"But how'd you get here?" I emphasized.

He shrugged again. "I took the stairs."

For a second, I could only stare at him. "You took the stairs?" I asked, wondering if I'd heard right. "We're on the top floor!"

"I felt like exercising," Cap nonchalantly replied as he took a seat next to me on the couch. "I didn't run; just walked. It wasn't so bad. And Tony gave me a key to the door leading to the stairwell, so that I could come in."

My reply froze in my throat as he slipped his arm around my shoulders, gently pulling me close to him and very effectively shut me up. It also caused me to automatically fit myself against him, and I couldn't help but notice that he was running a bit warm. Of course, that was probably from his walk up twenty-odd flights of stairs.

"Aw, you guys are so cute," Pepper said, smiling as I blushed. "Care for a glass of cider, Steve?"

He accepted, and took his glass while I held mine out to be topped off. When all were comfortable in their seats, Natasha decided to stir things up again.

"So, what's the next step for you guys?" she asked, a smile that was part knowing, part teasing on her mouth.

I blushed, though Cap looked puzzled. "Uh, I don't think we'll be doing that anytime soon," I hastily replied, giving Cap an awkward smile before glaring at Natasha. "We've only been dating a few months; there's really no rush to go there."

Her smile turned skeptical. "Oh, so you're the type to wait." She took a quick sip of wine. "Good for you. But that's not what I was indicating. I actually wanted to see if you were planning something along the lines of day-trips somewhere, or mini-vacations to places nearby."

Cap seemed to perk up a little bit at the idea. "Sounds like a good idea," he agreed, turning towards me. "I think a trip somewhere would be nice. The only traveling I've ever done was for the army; it might be fun to travel just for the sake of traveling and a vacation."

What could I say to that?

The rest of the evening was spent chatting with Pepper, Natasha, and Cap over what sort of trip to take.

Pepper suggested something close by, on the East Coast, so that we could be close to home in case Cap got homesick. She thought maybe a trip to New Jersey, Boston, or Maine would be ideal, with a rented house or bed-and-breakfast close to a beach for sun, surf, and maybe a bit of peace and quiet.

Natasha thought we should go all-out. She suggested Europe, but that seemed a bit extreme (and expensive!) for us. After I quickly shot down that idea, Natasha thought that Pepper's idea of sun and surf would be good, but that we should go somewhere warm and sunny, like Florida or Hawaii.

"I don't think I want to go anywhere too hot or humid," I tentatively told them, not wanting to be a wet blanket on their ideas. Although I'd been to both places, and it had been sunny and beautiful during my stays, I had not enjoyed the humidity, or the heat that occasionally felt oppressive.

"There's always California," Pepper suggested, perking up a little as the idea came to her. "Tony and I are heading out there in a couple weeks. You could join us on the flight, if you want, and stay at one of the properties Tony owns so that you don't have to deal with a hotel. We could even have the maid and butler of that location look after you, if you want."

That was tempting. Most people would have jumped on the offer, but I wasn't so sure -it was almost like taking advantage of Pepper and Tony's generosity, and that didn't seem right. Plus, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go on a vacation with Cap just yet, not when we'd been dating for such a short time.

"That sounds like fun," Natasha chimed in, giving me a look that clearly said to shut up and accept Pepper's offer. "You guys work too hard, and need to relax."

"Agreed," Cap said, giving me a warm smile that had me smiling back. "We'd love to go to California with you, Pepper."

'Here goes nothing,' I thought, downing my entire glass of cider in three glugs and wishing it was something stronger.

Glancing over at Adena, Steve knew that she was nervous about going on a vacation with him. In fact, he had his own doubts about it, but Adena really did deserve to relax and have fun.

'Well, we have been having fun together, but she needs this,' Steve thought as he took a drink from his glass, half listening to what the three women were saying.

After being kidnapped twice by Loki, followed by the stress of giving Steve his lessons nearly every day with almost no time to herself, Adena really deserved to drop everything for a while. Maybe a week or two in California would help.

Not that Steve knew much about California, other than the fact that the rich and famous lived there. He knew there were beaches, and had seen a few postcards in his day, but other than that, he was clueless. Hopefully, Pepper could help them with that.

Behind him, the elevator chimed, and in came the rest of the group, with Bruce and Barton still chatting away as Tony walked into the room.

"Greetings, lovely ladies and Captain Rogers!" Tony exclaimed, grinning broadly as Pepper went to greet him with a kiss. "You know, I should be jealous of Rogers getting so much alone time with three attractive women while I talk shop with the guys. But given that he's a Boy Scout, I'll let it go."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he sarcastically replied, pulling Adena closer so that Bruce and Tony could take a seat on the couch. Barton slid into a chair on the opposite side of the coffee table and propped his feet up on a convenient footstool.

"Don't mention it," Tony said with a smirk.

Pepper, meanwhile, rolled her eyes before giving him a playful, chastising glare. "Tony, I've invited Steve and Adena to travel to California with us. We all think that Adena needs some quiet time and fun, so I thought she could fly with us on the jet to the West Coast."

Tony's face lit up. "Great! She deserves it. Trust me, you'll get plenty of room to stretch out during the flight. I'll tell you what: you decide which city you want to stay in, and I'll have Jarvis call ahead, so that particular house is all cleaned and stocked up for your stay."

Adena blinked at him. "What do you mean, which city we want to stay in?" she asked. "How many houses could you possibly have in California?"

Tony shrugged. "Not sure," he confessed. "Hold on a sec." Steve and Adena watched as Tony counted off on his fingers. "San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles-"

"Okay, okay," Adena said hurriedly, cutting him off. "I'll take your word for it. San Francisco sounds fine, thanks."

"San Francisco it is," Tony declared. "Jarvis, see to it, will you?"

The computer system beeped a few times. "Yes, sir," Jarvis chimed over the speaker system.

Adena held up her hands. "Wait, wait," she said. "What do you mean, next week? I thought you weren't leaving for two weeks."

"Change of plans," Tony replied in a slightly apologetic tone. "Meeting's been moved up, and I have to be there in person to help soothe the nerves of my board of directors. I've been away too much and too long, and it's time for me to get back and work out a few things."

"I'm sure you can put together a suitcase by then," Pepper assured them while glaring at Tony, who simply gave her a charming smile. "Whatever you forget to bring, you could buy while you're out there. Since you're traveling with us, you won't have to go through security, so you can buy and bring home anything you want."

Steve immediately felt a surge of excitement. Adena could do with a bit of shopping, too, and he would like to see her buy something frivolous, rather than something needed or useful. He liked that she was sensible, but every woman should buy something pretty for herself, once in a while.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adena perk up a little. "Well, there are a few things I would like to get," she grudgingly admitted. "And shopping in California might be fun."

He had to grin as the others applauded and cheered, while Adena playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on," she laughed, "I'm not that much in need of a vacation!"

"Yes, you are," Steve firmly told her. "No arguments. We're going, and that's that."

This time, he laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him and made a face. "Fine, but we're doing it on a budget. I don't think Director Fury pays us enough for a major vacation, and California can be expensive."

She pointed at Tony as he opened his mouth. "And don't tell me you're picking up the tab," she firmly told him. "You're not only flying us out on your private jet, but you're also providing a place for us to stay for free, and that's enough. We'll cover the rest, thanks."

Smiling, Tony held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, if that's how you feel," he said, a little too innocently. "Just don't be surprised if your bill somewhere is suddenly paid for when you aren't looking."

Adena eyed him skeptically. "You wouldn't do that." She didn't sound fully convinced, though.

Casually shrugging, Tony merely smiled while Steve gave him a knowing smirk. Given that he was a genius with technology, Steve had the feeling that Tony would do something when Adena least expected it.

He heard a yawn come from beside him, and knew it was time to head home. Gently setting down his glass, Steve took Adena's as well, and set it aside. "Time to go," he declared, his tone openly declaring that there would be no arguments from anyone.

Adena nodded her agreement, then began her rounds of saying 'goodnight' by pressing kisses to cheeks and offering hugs to everyone, all of whom happily accepted her signs of affection and returned them. It was a sight Steve liked to see, because it showed two of the traits that made him fall for Adena: the warmth and friendliness she held inside her.

On the elevator ride down, Adena told him, "Tomorrow, we need to start packing." She caught his look of surprise and smiled. "Sorry, I forgot you've never really traveled for pleasure. It takes a lot of time to pick out what you'll be taking with you, so you need to start as soon as possible. After that, you should unpack your suitcase, to see if you've packed too much or forgotten something, then repack it. I usually do that a couple times, just to be sure."

By now, Steve was starting to get a bit worried. "Is traveling really that complicated these days?"

Adena gave a small shrug. "It's more complicated because of what you are and aren't allowed to take on the planes. Also, checking baggage costs an arm and a leg, so people tend to just pack one bag and bring a smaller, personal one to bring with them onto the plane. Airport security is a pain to get through, too."

She laughed and took his hand. The minute her fingers entwined with his, Steve felt himself relax a little, just like he always did whenever she held his hand. "Don't worry. Since we'll be traveling on Tony's private jet, we don't have to worry about all of that. All you have to do is make sure to bring stuff that'll be suitable for warm weather, and maybe an umbrella, in case it rains."

That made him feel better, but only a little. As anxiety began to build up inside, Steve willed himself to squish it down. Adena knew what to do, and she wouldn't let their first trip together turn out to be a failure. Even if things took a downward turn, she would do everything to fix it, or exhaust herself while trying.

Later, as he faded to sleep in his bed, the last thought Steve had was that in order to pack a suitcase, he actually had to own one first.

AN: Next stop will be a vacation with Steve and Adena! Review?