It was a quiet night in the neighborhood, where Steve's apartment building sat. The only sound that could be heard was the rumbling of his motorbike. He turned the corner and pulled into his usual parking spot near the stop sign and the trash. Steve cut off his motorbike and got off.
The scene showed him jogging up some stairs to his floor. Just as he was heading to his apartment, a blonde woman with a laundry basket in her hand and a phone to her ear, exited her apartment.
"Hi." she whispered
Bucky and Sam winced at the sight of the woman.
Steve raised a hand in greeting.
"I got to go, though." She told the other person on the phone. "Okay, bye."
Steve looked at her as she abruptly ended the call.
"Kate, I presume." Lily asked.
"Yes." Steve answered.
She tossed the phone down into her basket before smiling brightly at Steve. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac."
They both stood in a moment of silence, before Steve spoke up.
"Hey, if you want...If you want, you can use my machine."
Rose snorted.
Natasha hit her in the leg.
"Might be cheaper than the one in the basement." Steve said jokingly.
Kate played along with a smile on her face. "Oh, yeah? What's it cost?"
"A cup of coffee."
Wolf whistles rang throughout the room.
Steve's broad figure looked like it was trying to curl up in on itself.
Her smile broadened. She hesitated as though she really wanted to cave, before she sighed. A look of regret came across her face.
"Thank you, but I already have a load in downstairs, and you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished a rotation in the infectious disease ward."
"Aww, she let you down easy." Sirius shook his head.
"She only did it because she had to. It goes against her assignment to start seeing him." Natasha said.
"Well, I'll keep my distance." Steve threw his hands up in surrender.
"Well, hopefully not too far." Kate said playfully.
Steve smiled at her. He was happy to hear that she had some kind of interest in him.
They both turned to go their separate ways when Kate turned back around quickly. "
"Oh, and I think you left your stereo on." She told him politely.
Steve paused. "Oh. Right. Thank you."
It was only when she had made her way to the stairs that he eyed the door alertly.
"I take it we didn't leave the stereo on, did we?" Peter asked him.
"No we did not."
The film showed a window behind a bookshelf suddenly being opened. Steve could be seen climbing quietly through the window. He crept around the corner of the dark room, eyes alert for who could have started the music that was currently playing throughout his apartment.
He quickly snatched up his shield that was leaning against his bookshelf and continued his quiet but steady pace throughout the halls.
Bucky sighed at what he knew was coming. Watching this film was going to feel like him reliving his personal hell all over again.
Steve came to the end of the hall. He slowly looked around the corner. In the corner was a living chair next to table with a lamp and a record player, where the music was coming from. Occupying the chair was none other than Nicholas Fury. Fury was leaning back lazily in the chair. He rolled his head in the direction of Steve so his good eye could see him better.
Steve realized that there was potentially no real danger and came out from his hiding a little more. He leaned up against the door frame comfortably before addressing Nick.
"I don't remember giving you a key."
Fury grunted in pain as he slowly sat up in his seat. "You really think I need one?" he asked rhetorically. "My wife kicked me out."
Steve stared silently for a moment. "Didn't know you were married."
"A lot of things you don't know about me." Fury admitted.
That kicked Steve into action. He made his way further into the room. "I know, Nick. That's the problem."
He turned the room light, that was the lamp, on only to be shocked by Fury's battered appearance. Things were starting to click into place.
Fury held up a hand to silence him before he could say anything to give them away. Fury pulled the string on the lamp, so that they were back in the dark. Steve watched warily as
Fury picked up his phone and typed a message on it. Fury held up the phone for Steve to see.
EARS EVERYWHERE
Steve tried to discretely look around.
"I hope Natasha actually taught you something in your training, because subtly is not your strong suit." Audrey winced.
"What else would we be doin- Shut up Audrey!" Natasha stopped when she realized where Audrey was heading.
Audrey threw her head back in laughter.
Steve was just trying not to turn red.
"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." Fury said while typing again. He turned the phone around
SHIELD COMPROMISED
"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked seriously.
Fury typed quickly and turned the phone around.
YOU AND ME
Fury kept his injured arm across his waist as he moved to stand.
"Just...My friends." Fury said aloud. He walked a little closer to Steve.
"Is that what we are?" Steve asked drily.
"That's up to you." Fury said simply.
There was a moment of silence before it was interrupted by the piercing sound of gunshots. Fury hollered out before falling to the ground.
"Whoa!"
"That catches me off guard every time."
"Nooo!"
"Stop yelling in my ear, Sirius!"
"Mommy!" Ollie jumped.
"Crap. I was so wrapped up in the film that I didn't think about the kids." Rose whisper-yelled to Clint.
"I got it. I don't really wanna be here for this in the first place." Bucky stood up quickly and made his way through the aisle. "Teddy, Wren, Ollie! Let's go get some ice cream."
Ginny went to object, but Rose stopped her.
"I trust him. He's...mostly harmless."
Rose looked to Sonya for confirmation. Not to see if he was safe, but to see if he was actually any good with kids. Just like she knew Tony would never harm her kids, and yet she still wouldn't allow him to watch them for more than a few hours. He was far from the best babysitter.
"I hate to say this, but he is actually pretty great with kids." Sam sighed as though it pained him to compliment Bucky.
Ginny nodded reluctantly and looked at Bucky who was looking at her for permission. "Nothing against you. I just don't know you. But if Rose vouches for you then, okay."
In all technicality, she didn't really know Rose either, but she just felt in her heart of hearts that Rose wouldn't let anything happen to Teddy.
The movie waited for Bucky to gather the children and leave the room before it began again.
Steve quickly ducked down and grabbed Fury by the arm. Fury groaned in agony asl he was dragged behind a wall that led to Steve's kitchen. Steve went to pursuit the shooter but was stopped by Fury's sudden grip on his forearm.
Fury opened his palm and presented Steve with the very flash drive that the Romanoff sisters acquired. Steve carefully grabbed it.
Fury spoke between quickened breaths. "Don't trust anyone."
Steve was forced to watch Fury as his body seemed to be trying to succumb to his injuries. His attention was ripped away to the door when a series of loud bangs could be heard.
"What in the world is happening now?" Fleamont tilted his head.
The door finally gave way and banged open. Steve stood up with a quickness.
"Captain Rogers?" A familiar feminine voice sounded throughout the room.
Steve peeked around the corner cautiously. He could see "Kate" walking into the room with a gun raised for any potential threat.
"I am so confused." Peter sighed.
"Me too." Sirius furrowed his brow.
She caught sight of him. "Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service."
"Kate?" He questioned in confusion.
She whirled around the corner and dropped her gun when she saw no threat.
"I'm assigned to protect you." She informed him. Her steps halted at the sight of Fury.
"On who's orders?" Steve questioned firmly.
She swallowed thickly. "His."
she found her way over to Fury and knelt beside him. Her gun was placed on the ground so that she could take his pulse. Steve was forced to do nothing but watch as she yanked a radio out of her shirt pocket.
"Foxtrot is down , he's unresponsive. I need EMTs." She spoke into the radio.
"Do we have a 20 on the shooter?" Someone responded through the radio
Both Agent 13 and Steve looked around. It didn't take long for Steve to see a figure take off in the opposite direction.
"Tell him I'm in pursuit."
The next thing that could be seen on screen was Steve bursting through a window with his shield.
"You have got to be kidding me." Amanda bursted out laughing. "You and that shield are a menace."
Her friends laughed a little.
Steve found himself bursting through the window of the next building. He rolled back onto his feet and took off running. He ran through the office building, tracking the shooter through the see through ceiling. Steve burst through a door that stood in his way.
"I just know there were some very upset business people the next day." Ginny laughed.
Steve turned a corner quickly, so quickly that he had to use the wall as leverage to stay on course. He leapt onto a hall table and sped across it until he jumped off to go through another door. He was forced to use his shield as a ram and a cover, for the door was glass.
"Not the glass door." Audrey screamed in false despair.
Many in the room laughed at her antics and the humor of Steve's high speed chase.
Steve simply sighed.
Steve crashed through some double doors and continued his, run until he was forced to turn a corner. He couldn't quite turn in time, so he hit a wall with the shield, creating a dent. This momentum had him turning and running through another set of double doors. The doors led to a narrow hall where a small window was.
The shooter could be seen jumping from the roof and onto a lower roof of another building. He tucked and rolled his way onto his feet.
Steve ran a little faster for momentum before crashing through the window. He too tucked and rolled his way onto his feet. The moment he was properly upright, he expertly threw the shield at the shooter.
To Steve's utter shock, the shooter turned swiftly and caught the shield as though it was nothing.
The room gasped at seeing the same man who tried to kill Fury on the road.
"Like I said. Determined."
"Not the time, Potter."
The shooter threw the shield back at Steve with such a force that he slid. Steve managed to remain upright, but by the time he looked up, the shooter was gone. He sprinted to the edge of the roof but found no evidence of the muzzled assailant.
[Scene Change]
A sleek black Corvette pulled up in the middle of the street where police was parked.
Two red heads both got out of the car and jogged into the hospital. Natasha shoved the doors open to the gallery area of the operating room. Kitty wasn't too far behind her.
Both stood at the window next to Steve who was attentively watching the procedure. Both were so distraught at the sight that they almost didn't notice an intense Agent Hill on the phone in the corner.
"Is he gonna make it?" Natasha asked Steve.
"I don't know." Steve answered honestly.
"The shooter?" Kitty didn't even look up from the window.
"He's fast. Strong." Steve paused. "Had a metal arm."
Kitty blinked rapidly and practically stopped breathing for a moment.
"Are you going to silently stare at the wall all day or..."
Silence.
"Are you not allowed to speak to me?"
More Silence.
"If you don't say something, then I'm going to steal your arm in the middle of the night and sell it on the market. I know it will get me a pretty penny."
"Don't-"
"Oh, so you do speak?"
"-make me shoot you."