DEMONS.
( chapter two. )

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Edited 04/16/2016 @2:12 AM
Edited 11/6/2017 @12:01 PM

  ANDREA'S SMILE WAS bright as she walked the streets of Washington, DC with Steve by her side. Her gaze wandered anywhere and everywhere, basking in the beauty of the city as night approached. It filled Andrea with a certain kind of content. She loved living here. It was the only place she knew, the only place she called home.

As the Jones girl's gaze wandered the streets, a vintage store caught her eye, instantly eliciting a grin from the female. She grabbed onto Steve's hand, pulling him along in the direction of the store. Her amusement and happiness made Steve smile, it was refreshing to have someone like her in his life. She was full of surprises, and nothing ever got old. It reminded Steve of a long-forgotten childhood.

Almost as soon as they entered, Andrea quickly began to gawk. Everything in the shop held some form of age and beauty and it made the Jones girl fall in love. She adored everything vintage. Anything with age and a story seemed to captivate her, and she imagined what it would be like to have something like it linked to her past. Maybe her interest had something to do with her memory loss and how, even as happy as she was, there was a part of her that couldn't help but wonder.

Still, Andy couldn't help but indulge in imagination as she ran her hands gently over the fabric of an old dress. Behind her, the setting sun peered briefly between two buildings, glinting off the jewelry in the glass case behind the clothes. Andy's attention caught on a locket. She reached into the case, picking up the necklace with care before heading over to the cashier.

"Excuse me, how much is this?" She questioned, smiling when his cheeks flared. His flustered expression drew out a kind grin as he rang up the cost hurriedly. "Twenty-four dollars, and ninety-nine cents," the boy replied softly and Andrea handed him thirty. She didn't question the high price. It was a beautiful item and she had more than enough for it.

The cashier gave her back her change and Andy turned on her heel, happily clasping the locket around her neck. She then hooked her arm with Steve's, the pair walking out the door side by side. He didn't question her sudden on-sight spending, it was just the way Andrea was. Besides, she was mostly reasonable anyways. If she wanted to spend on herself sometimes, it was her choice.

"So, where to next Captain?" Steve looked around for a suitable place to eat. Once he found one, he began leading Andy towards it. A laugh escaped her. "Really Steven, shawarma?" She asked as she glanced up at the sign, though she didn't really mind. It was a familiar food, considering how it had been the Avenger's refuel station after the Battle of New York.

Once they walked in, Andrea was almost instantly hooked by the scent. It smelled amazing. They chose a seat by the window, Andy having quickly found an order on the menu that she wanted. It took Steve a little longer, considering he wasn't used to so many of the current foods. Finally he settled on just a wrap, which he claimed was the easiest choice to go with.

"You know what we should do?" Andrea suddenly asked him once their food had arrived. She took a large bite of her order. Steve watched her savour her food with humour in his eyes.

"What?" He finally questioned and Andy smirked, leaning over and resting her elbow on the table with her chin propped up in the palms of her hand. Her features were almost conspiratorial, but he knew she was harmless. Or, at least she tried to be when he was around. Still, Steve rose a brow at the female's antics.

"We should rent a movie and buy junk food, have a total day to ourselves. Imagine it." The words were spoken in a whisper, and Andy sighed longingly as the idea began to sprout to life inside her thoughts. One day of complete relaxation was like a vacation in comparison to her day-to-day life with S.H.I.E.L.D. She was constantly training either her body or her mind and resting days were rarely an option.

"With our jobs at S.H.I.E.L.D? I highly doubt we'd be able to," Steve pointed out and, just like a pin to a bubble, her daydream was over and done. At his blatant scoff for her plan, Andrea groaned as she smacked her head against her palm.

"Steve," she begged him, "you're killing the vibe here."

He grinned at her, "I'll pretend like I know what that means."

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Must be nice, being an old man." The words were taunting, but there wasn't any insult behind it. She couldn't imagine fighting with him, nonetheless going for that low of a blow. Steve narrowed his eyes on her playfully before he rose a daring brow.

"Don't tempt me. I have Clint on speed-dial," he threatened as Andy raised her Coca-Cola to her lips and took a sip.

From behind her drink, she smiled. "As if you know how to use it," she threw back at him, reaching across the table to flick him on the nose. For a moment, Steve seemed truly stunned by it. He blinked once before a wide grin broke out on his expression and the sight took Andy by surprise. It was so sudden and so genuine in a way that Steve rarely was. He swatted her hand away with a laugh and Andrea smiled softly in return. Knowing she could make him laugh like that made her feel full of warmth.

Afterwards, the pair finished eating in a comfortable silence and it was dark out when they began the journey back to their apartments. Andy had first met Steve when he had woken up from the ice and she was the one to recommend moving into the open apartment across from hers. She was excited to show him all the cool stuff he'd missed out on. Though, the Jones girl had only just been introduced to the world herself after being found by S.H.I.E.L.D, two years earlier than Steve.

She didn't have a home, a job, or a family. Nobody knew who she was.

That's when Andrea met Nick Fury. He helped introduce her to the world alongside both Natasha and Clint before deciding to train her as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was during this said training that S.H.I.E.L.D. also revealed their knowledge of Andrea's abilities. So, a few months passed in which the Jones girl excelled in all of her lessons. She easily became one of the best agents Fury had ever seen.

It was amazing how easily reflexes and instincts came to her and how great she was at both combat and weaponry. Andy knew they suspected what she had; somehow, this wasn't pure talent. It was linked to her past. Andrea also did exceptionally well in completing complicated offensive and defensive fighting. In turn, these said skills left the Director more than impressed. Andy became a Level 7 agent at a faster rate than anyone had ever seen and it was precisely what had earned her place in the distrust and dislike of many others.

Though, her rise in the ranks also might've had something to do with the fact that Natasha, Nick, and Clint had become close with Andrea. She clung to them in a way they couldn't simply shake off and trust came easily. To her, they felt like family and she was beyond thankful for them. Of course, Andy appreciated Steve as well. She had no idea what she would do without her best friend. To be quite honest, she would have probably been getting into a lot more trouble than she already did.

Which, even now, was a considerable amount.

Andrea couldn't help but chuckle softly at these thoughts, catching the attention of Steve who stared down at her strangely. "What's so funny?" He asked and Andy smiled, shaking her head.

"Nothing, just thinking," she said softly.

The words earned her a feigned look of suspicion from Steve. "Uh oh, that's never good," he teased, nudging her arm and eliciting an eye-roll in return. Andy reached out and gave him a playful shove. In turn, Steve simply wrapped his arm around the female and she smiled, feeling content as they began to talk. The topic of their conversation changed constantly and never ceased to amuse Andy.

People who could give her a good conversation like this were the people she appreciated most in her life. "Are you going running tomorrow?" She asked as they entered their apartment building. Steve nodded as he opened the door for the Jones girl, to which she grinned and chuckled. "Ever the gentlemen," she teased, and Steve smiled softly.

The pair then entered the elevator (or death machine as Andy liked to call it) and the female pressed the button to the top floor. "Well, I guess I can wake myself up and go for a run with you. I promise, though, I will beat you this time," she said with grin. Her words earned a laugh in reply as she handed back the duffle bag to Steve.

"Whatever you say." The doors opened and they stepped out of the elevator, venturing to their apartments in silence. The exhaustion of the day seemed to finally wear down upon them. "Goodnight, Andrea." Steve grinned when the female narrowed her eyes on him.

The usage of her real name never ceased to annoy her. She much preferred Andy as she found that, simply, it made her feel more comfortable. Andy sighed and shook her head, unlocking her door and giving Steve a pointed look. "I suggest you watch yourself, Rogers." Her smirk held warning.

"Right, like you can do anything about it, Jones." The blond's taunt came easily in reply, to which the Andrea gave a rather humorous chortle.

"You and I both know that I can take you down easily. Are we forgetting the whole full-blown tackle earlier?" She questioned as the sound of her lock sliding out of place was heard.

"Hm, sorry. I don't recall. But, whatever helps you sleep. Goodnight, Andy." Steve told her, putting emphasis on his last two words in order to end the conversation. She chuckled as they turned to face each other.

"Goodnight," she replied softly as he pulled her into a hug, placing a light kiss on her head. It was more of a family-like gesture to her than anything and Andy didn't mind it at all. Steve's affection towards her was always comforting. He was another part of the little family she'd created with S.H.I.E.L.D.

The two entered their separate apartments and Andy heaved a tired sigh, quickly coming to realize how drained she truly felt. The day had been fun, albeit a little long. Nonetheless, she still enjoyed it. It was rare that their days ended so pleasantly and she always enjoyed spending time with Steve (when he wasn't being an uptight ass, of course.)

Andrea kicked off her shoes with a content smile on her lips, tossing her coat over the back of the couch. Finally, she lifted her arms to stretch out her muscles, yawning once she was done. However, almost as soon as she'd finished, the Jones girl felt a strange feeling beginning to spread through her. A wave of nausea came over Andy and, suddenly, she felt jittery.

It didn't help that an impending headache had begun to wedge its way between her temples either. She felt it coming on shortly after the museum, but back then it had been something that seemed to linger just out of reach. Andrea stifled a groan as she walked into the kitchen. She reached into a cupboard, quickly finding a pill to ease her pain and swallowing it dry.

The effect took a while to kick in and, in that time, Andrea couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the man at the Smithsonian. Her curiosity longed to know more about who he was and what the memory he triggered meant, but where would she find the time? She was an active agent with endless responsibilities. Still, she had to know more, and the determination had already set in.

Somehow, sooner or later, she was going to find out what that sigil meant, and the link it had to her past. Andrea exhaled a sigh, noting how the sick feeling seemed to fade and her headache went with it. She walked into her room and changed into something more comfortable, crawling under her covers once she was done. She didn't have the energy to do much else.

The Jones girl found sleep quickly as thoughts of her day swarmed her mind, lulling her to bed until she was finally able to fall away into a calming abyss.

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