"No problem, Cap," Sam said. He looked over his sunglasses at the cabin. "Gotta ask, though, why are you out here in the back end of nowhere?"

"Gemma needed some space," Steve said with a little shrug. "And I wasn't about to let her stay out here by herself. She wasn't in a good headspace for that."

"Gemma?" Sam asked. "You mean the girl you've had living with you who went Kirby on some sorcerer?"

Steve snorted at the description. "Yeah, her," he said with a little grin. "Got a problem with that, Wilson?"

Sam held up his hands.

"Hey, man, I draw the line at all this hocus-pocus stuff," he said. "This is way outside anything I'm trained for." He grinned a bit. "Thought you did too, till now."

"This is no stranger than a dragon," Steve said with a shrug. "If Bucky can like a dragon, I think Gemma's well within the range of acceptable things." He grinned.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" he asked.

"I'm not implying anything, Sam, you're the one jumping to conclusions." Steve smirked. "Didn't your mother tell you not to do that?"

"My mother taught me to pay attention," Sam retorted, smirking as well. "And anyone with eyes can see James is head over heels for his dragon-lady. Which makes me wonder exactly how attached you are to Gemma."

"Attached enough to come with her out here for an as-yet-undetermined amount of time," Steve said with a shrug, as if he did this every day.

Sam studied him for a moment, and then grinned.

"I see," he said. "Well damn. I owe Barton twenty bucks, then."

Steve was quiet for a moment.

"Y'know, I'm not even surprised you guys were betting. When did this turn into my life?" He made a long-suffering face.

"You're the one who agreed to move in with them, man," Sam said. "Though you couldn't've waited till Christmas to make a move on her?"

Steve looked amused. "I haven't made a move," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just helping her adjust, making sure she's okay and safe and all that, Sam. This isn't a romantic get away."

"Uh huh," Sam said, disbelieving. "Keep telling yourself that, because from where I'm standing, it definitely looks that way."

Steve sighed. "She lost control a little over her new powers earlier," he murmured. "She freaked out, wanted to bolt. The only reason she let me tag along is because I threatened to follow her anyway. She's worried that she'll hurt someone."

"A sane man would have run the other way," Sam pointed out. "You followed her?"

"I caught up to her and talked her into letting me come along," Steve said with a shrug. "And to hear you all, I'm hardly sane, am I?"

"Even still, man," Sam said, shaking his head a bit. "Whatever, your choice. I still owe Barton a twenty, I was sure you wouldn't even realize you liked her till Christmas."

"I'm not that dense," Steve said with a snort. He paused for a moment, considering. "Bucky, though. Bucky might be."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"You might be surprised," he said. "He's got his head on straighter now than I've ever seen him."

"Really?" Steve raised his eyebrows. "What, Kenzie going away finally got to him?"

"I dunno, man, maybe," Sam replied. "What I do know is that he's a lot steadier than he was. Jumping out of his skin wondering where she is, but still steadier than before."

"Good." Steve looked pleased at that. He didn't even care if it was Kenzie that had caused it, he was just happy that Bucky was steadier. "Keep an eye on him for me, would you? I'm not sure how long I'll be gone."

"Of course," Sam said, nodding. "Would have even if you didn't ask." He smirked. "Try not to get turned into a frog, okay? I refuse to explain that one to the others."