This is a work of fanfiction. No profit is being made.

Steve parked his bike in the secured garage and trotted across the street to his building. He had recently moved out of his apartment in Brooklyn and took one in the building SHIELD kept for it's employees. It was nicknamed The Barracks and Steve thought the name was very appropriate. The building was very utilitarian and the apartments were tiny. Consisting of only one bedroom, a bathroom and a living room with a kitchenette. Sometimes he regretted moving but it did not make sense to keep an apartment that was so far from headquarters. He spent little time there and had few personal belongings.

He quickly made his way up the stairs to his apartment, bypassing a couple of agents on their way out. He smiled when they greeted him and was relieved when they moved on. His first week had been awkward, many of the agents treated him like a celebrity. They had flocked around him until he had seriously reconsidered living here. Then they just stopped. He thought maybe Barton and Romanov had something to do with it but, when he asked them about it, they shrugged and denied it. He was just happy it was over.

He changed out of his work clothes and into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and returned to the main room. He was halfway through his book and he wanted to finish it before bed. He had just settled on the couch when he heard a clatter in the hallway and cursing. He went to the door, hoping that no one had gotten hurt. When he opened the door he found the floor covered with clothes and other items that a woman was viciously shoving back into a box. The first thing he noticed were her curves. He had always been a sucker for curvy girls. Her brown hair tumbled over her shoulders in a riot of curls. Then he noticed her eyes, they were red from crying and he felt like a jerk for eyeing her up.

"Let me help you." He said as he knelt to reach the items that were out of her reach. As he moved to put them in her box he was hit by the smell of alcohol. She was obviously drunk.

"Thanks." She sniffed and covered her face. She curled over and her shoulder shook once in a silent sob.

"Are you ok?" he asked, softly.

"No," she replied.

"Is there anything I can do?"

She took a deep breath and braced herself. "Can you help me get these downstairs?"

"Yeah." He took one box while she took the one that had fallen and he followed her as she went down the hall to the stairs. He was worried about her going down the stairs in her condition but she went slowly and held tight to the rail. They made it to the bottom without any problems. She went out to the front of the building and dumped her box on the curb. He wondered who the man was that had upset her enough for her to toss out his belongings.

"Just leave it here." She told him. He placed the box next to the one she had dropped. "Thanks," she told him and went back into the building. He trailed behind her as she climbed the stairs as carefully as she had went down them. They were on the last flight before their floor when someone shouted a level down and she jumped. Her foot missed a step and she started to fall.

He snatched her out of the air and held her to his chest. She gasped and clung to him. "I've got you. You're okay."

She simply sobbed in reply. "I saw him. I saw him with her! A year and a half we've been... who knows how long he's been... I took him home to meet my family!" She broke off as her sobs became too harsh for her to speak. He held her awkwardly as she cried. He didn't know if he should speak or simply let her cry herself out. He shifted until they were both seated on the stairs, but he kept his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight into his side. They sat there for several minutes until her cries began to abate, eventually they trailed off into the occasional sniffle or hiccup.

"Which apartment is yours? I'll help you get there." He said. When she didn't reply he looked down at her face and realized she had fallen asleep. He jostled her lightly. "Miss, you need to wake up." He tried several more times to wake her but she fast asleep. He stared at her in panic, unsure what to do. Voices drifted up the stairs, someone was coming this way. She didn't deserve to have people see her like this. He picked her up carefully and part of him couldn't help but notice how well she fit into his arms. He carried her into his apartment and settled her on his bed. He pulled off her shoes and glasses before tucking the blankets up around her shoulders.

The next morning he woke wondering why he was on the couch before he remembered his guest. He stretched and looked at the clock. He really needed to get ready for the day. SHIELD had him working with the more advanced junior agents on their combat training. The higher-ups were hoping to find the next generation of super agents to follow in his teammates footsteps. He slowly opened the bedroom door and peaked inside. He couldn't help but blush. She was still asleep but she must have gotten over warm in the middle of the night because her clothes were flung all over the room. She was laying on her stomach with her arms tucked under the pillow. The sheet was twisted about her middle and only covering one leg. He thought about skipping his shower but he had a meeting this morning and he didn't want to smell. He moved quietly around the bed to his closet and dresser. He paused while pulling out his clothes to look at her again. She was facing away from him, her hair fanned out over the pillows and her bare shoulders. His eyes traced over the bright blue straps of her bra across her back and down that one bare leg. His fingers ached to draw her and he briefly considered skipping his meeting and getting his sketchbook. He shook his head at that thought, she was not his to draw.

He went into the bathroom and climbed into the shower. He took his time, enjoying the feel of the steaming water on his muscles and wishing it could ease the ache in his heart. After he exited the shower, he dried off and started dressing. He had just pulled on his shirt but had not buttoned or tucked it in when he heard a clatter in his bedroom and faint cursing. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, he turned and opened the bathroom door. Thankfully she had her clothes on. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

She froze in the middle of picking her shoes up off the ground and looked up at him. "Oh, thank God you're not ugly!"

"What?" he asked, confused.

She dropped her shoes and sat on the bed. "Waking up in a strange bed does not usually end this well. This is so not what I had planned for last night." He blushed as she ran her eyes up and down his body. "Not that I'm going to complain. Guess I can cross off getting even. I just wish I could remember it." Suddenly she was off the bed and running her hands down his chest.

He grabbed her hands. "What are you doing?!"

She looked up at him with a saucy grin, "trying to jog my memory."

"You never touched me!"

"I didn't?" She looked down at his chest, obviously not believing him.

"I helped you with your boxes." He told her.

She nodded. "I vaguely remember that."

"You started crying and fell asleep. I didn't know where you lived."

Her eyes got wide. "We didn't have sex?"

"No."

Suddenly her face was bright red. She pulled away from him and resumed frantically gathering her clothes. "I am so sorry. Thanks for... well, just thanks. I'm going now." Then she was running out and he heard his front door slam.

Later that day, he saw her heading out of the cafeteria and rushed to catch up with her. He grabbed her arm and, when she turned around, she looked at him with pure panic. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hey," she replied, her voice was faint but tense.

He was aware of the stares they were receiving and pulled her around a corner. They were still visible but not as many people could see them. He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out her glasses. "You, uh, forgot these."

She took them and blushed. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like an idiot. An idiot that's been sat on by an elephant."

"Please don't. You had a rough day and it was a misunderstanding."

She ducked her head. "Thanks, for helping and for returning these. I've been running into things all day."

"It's no problem." He reassured her. "I'm just glad I could help."

"I'm Darcy by the way. Darcy Lewis."

"Steve Rogers."

She cocked her head, obviously familiar with the name and trying to place it. He waited with dread. Then her eyes got wide and she stared up at him "I felt up Captain America?"

After training, Clint caught up to him as he headed into the locker room. "Hey, Rogers! What's this I hear about you and a hot analyst?"