"So the party was crashed in DC." James Bond's voice sarcastically began as Rachel sat in a hospital chair in a private waiting room.
Rachel was currently waiting impatiently for Steve to wake up. Sam had offered to save Rachel panicking constantly to stay with Steve and to let her know when he woke up. She accepted.
"Yes..." Rachel groaned as she leaned back in the armchair she sat in the lonely room. "We did."
"How was it being a fugitive?" James asked curiously. Rachel rolled her eyes at the question as she let one leg sit over the other.
"Let's just say I prefer it when I'm not but seeing Natasha for the first time in her element was quite the spectacle." Rachel admits smiling to herself as she remembered the long trip. "Though when it got to the point where I, Natasha and Steve were almost blown up in the first ever Shield base wasn't my favourite."
"This makes me think that Tarr will find this one his favourite reports to read since 2011." James admitted laughing to himself. "How are you though?"
"Salty." Rachel states honestly.
"Why?" James asks slowly, his tone concerned.
"Let Tarr know that RAID figured out a recipe for a temporary speed removing serum." Rachel demands in an annoyed tone clearly telling James that she was salty.
"That's bad..." James concludes, his tone becoming serious. "Having that on our list of troubles is concerning."
"Well if it does get used on me we'll know where they got it from." Rachel tells him as the door opened to reveal Rose peaking her head through the door.
"Fair enough."
"James I have to go." Rachel tells him quickly. "I'll let you know when I'm headed home."
"Copy that boss." James farewells before Rachel removed her phone from her ear and hung up. Rachel stood up slowly wincing at the pain she felt from minor battles and was immediately trapped in her sister's embrace.
"I've never been so scared in my life!" Rose exclaimed letting her sister out of her embrace. Rachel was left wide eyed as she tried to gain her balance and succeeded. "I thought you'd die and if never see you again... Rachel your the hero I aspire to be and you never told me!" She then shouts.
"Rose pipe down!" Rachel demands. "Do you want the world to know!"
"Do you?"
"No!"
"Explain." Rose demands.
"I can't." Rachel admitted.
"Why not?"
"Its classified."
"So you're an agent." Rose figures pointing a stern finger towards her sister.
"I never said agent." Rachel tells her sister firmly lowering her pointed finger.
"So you're an Avenger?"
"I'm not an Avenger."
"But you helped out in New York..." Rose argues. "You're a hero."
"And in London. I work in London 24/7." Rachel argues back. "What are you doing in America anyways? Aren't you supposed to be in Australia."
"I quit." Rose explains. "The boss was a bitch. Did you not get my message a couple days ago?" Rose asks confused.
"I was being framed as a damn fugitive! I couldn't message you!"
"How was I supposed to know that?"
"You weren't! That's the point! Oh for goodness sake Rose."
"What? I'm curious."
"I'm just as curious as you, trust me. But I cannot tell you everything here. I could put you in more risk than what you already could be."
"That doesn't explain-"
"Rachel!" Sam's low and hopeful voice interrupted Rose as he opened the door. His tone making it clear that she was helping him escape Rose's wrath.
"Yes Sam." Rachel smiles.
"It's Steve." Sam states. "He's awake." Sam tells Rachel with a smile and a completely noticeable look.
"Thank god I was going to lose my mind." Rachel tells Sam pushing past Rose as quickly as possible who placed her hands on her hips sassily not happy at all with her older sister.
"Rachel!"
"Sam your a bloody life saver..." Rachel mutters to Sam as the two walk down the hall.
"I'm right behind you." Rose tells her sister acknowledging the two's plan.
"Rose, stay with Sam." Rachel demands as they reach Steve's hospital room before turning to Sam. "I need you to keep the secrets a secret and keep Rose out here. I can't have her fangirling inside that room whilst Steve is recovering from fighting his best friend." Rachel orders in which Sam nodded in reply walking into the room.
She instantly noticed the bruises across his face. The minor cuts and stitches here and there. Let's just say it was good that Tony wasn't there.
"Hey..." Rachel began softly as she closed the door behind her.
"Rachel..." Steve croaked. "You... you alright?" He asked concerned as she sat at the foot of the bed just like he did when she was struck by lightning 'seventy' years ago.
"Am I alright? Are you alright? You had a nightmare up there..." Rachel questioned not answering his question as she grasped his weaker hand cautiously. "You faced a lot more than I thought I ever would."
"I'm... fine." Steve slowly admits. "I mean you would be fine in a few hours if you were in my situation..."
"Okay smartass." Rachel retorts. "Let's see who gets shot next time." A small pause rested over the two as they both let out a small chuckle.
"Did you..." Steve suddenly began looking Rachel in the eyes. "Did you get me out of the river?" He asks furrowing his eyebrows slightly as Rachel caressed his hand with her thumb.
"No..." Rachel admits after a small moment of thought. "Bucky did." Steve seemed almost surprised by the statement but could see the truth in Rachel's eyes. "I panicked when I saw you fall... I ran as fast as I could but Bucky was quicker... he dragged you out of the river... whatever you told him or whatever you did... it helped."
"You were worried..." Steve acknowledges making Rachel blush.
"Of course I did you idiot." Rachel states almost fumbling over her words. "If it were me I know you'd be the same... your constantly worried about your team." Rachel continued making Steve smirk to himself.
"So tell me..." Steve began as he quickly changed the subject. "Who's the woman you were shouting at?" Rachel's eyes instantly widened. He heard.
"My sister." Rachel quickly explains. "She made a surprise visit. She also found out I am you know who and now wants to know everything." Rachel continues becoming frustrated as she ran a hand through her hair.
"No wonder she was stressing you out... she's a Falsworth." Rachel's head snapped towards Steve almost offended by the truth. "Definition of Falsworth: Inquisitive. Persuasive. Likes the truth. Can also be a pain in the butt."
"Your comedy's improving for a man of your age Rogers." Rachel retorts making Steve glare in Rachel's direction. "You'll start competing with Clint soon."
"That's a complement." Steve states.
"So is being called inquisitive. So we are even." Rachel smirked eyeing Steve who smiled.
"I guess so..." Steve agrees before he noticed the look on Rachel's face. She was holding something back. "What's wrong?" He asks sternly.
"Hm." Rachel responds raising her eyebrows confused.
"You're holding something back..." Steve acknowledges. "You make that face when you're holding something back. What happened?" Steve asked but in a concerned tone this time.
"Another speedster..." Rachel sighed averting her gaze from Steve. "A bad speedster."
"Do you know who it is?" Steve asked leaning his head back into his pillow as Rachel's grip on his hand loosened.
"No. I've never seen him before." Rachel admits. "But I wouldn't know because he was moving too fast for me to see his face. He was.... phasing?" Rachel assumes shrugging before looking back towards Steve who held a concerned look.
"You're still holding back Rach..." Steve acknowledges again. "Fiddling with your fingers." He states causing Rachel to look down to see that she was indeed fiddling with her hands.
"He knew who I was..." Rachel states slowly. "He knows who I am without the mask." Steve's eyes widen only slightly due to the strain and possible pain it could cause but managed to still evidently show his shock for the situation. "That's how Rose, my sister even knows."
"How?" Steve asked instantly.
"I have no idea but that's the least of your worries." Rachel tells him. "And I now have more to write in my report when I get back. As well as deal with my sister."
"So you're telling me that I can't worry about you?" Steve assumes, his tone coming across as more of a question than an assumption.
"No!" Rachel blurts, her cheeks instantly flushing. "I just know that you're constantly concerned about anyone you're close too..." Rachel explains as she began to fiddle with her fingers again. "I do too. Which is also why I wasn't here when you woke up. I couldn't bare it."
"But you're here now." Steve states smiling in her direction. "That's what matters."
- -
About a week or so later Sam, Steve, Rose and Rachel were to meet Nick Fury at the cemetery.
Between the time she had known Rose was up to date with everything necessary for her to know which included that Nick Fury was alive. She knew about Rachel being an agent of MI6. Not as second in command just yet. She promised to keep every secret she was told and Rachel could only trust her sister. One thing that Rachel hadn't told her sister about though was time travel. Rose wasn't ready to know that just yet.
"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?" Nick asked the four as he walked up to his own grave in a burgundy hoodie, black jacket and a pair of black shades covering his eyes. After all that happened Nick had to destroy any evidence of him being alive which unfortunately included his eyepatch.
"You get used to it." Steve answers as Rachel wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulder.
"My first time." Rose states nervously looking up at Fury. "But I suppose I'll try." She admits before turning her head to look at her sister in which she smiled.
"We've been data-mining Hydra's files." Fury states before looking at Rachel in particular. "Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship." Rachel nodded in understanding before Fury looked towards Steve.
"I'll look out for them in the UK." Rachel asssures. "Don't you worry." Turning to look back at Rachel, Fury nodded towards her before continuing.
"I'm headed to Europe tonight. Wanted to ask if you'd come." Fury suggests looking towards Sam and Steve for their answers.
"There's something I gotta do first." Steve tells him as he looked in Fury's direction.
"How bout you Wilson? I could use a man with your abilities." Fury asks looking at Sam.
"I'm more of a soldier than a spy." Sam admits honestly as he looked towards Nick.
"Alright then." Fury concludes before offering his hand out for Rachel to shake in which she does before he shook Rose's, Steve's and Sam's. "If anybody asks for me. Tell them they can find me... right here." Fury tells Steve as he kept ahold of his hand whilst motioning his head in his grave's direction. Once the nods of understanding was sent his way Fury made his departure. Who knew when Rachel would see him again.
"You should be honoured, that's about as close as he gets to saying thank you!" Natasha states as she makes her way towards the four in her formal attire. She had been to a press conference with some very important people instead of Rachel as a thank you for what she had done for which she was grateful.
"Not going with him?" Steve asks as he walks towards her leaving Sam, Rachel and Rose to talk.
"Nope." Natasha responds with a smile.
"Not staying either..." Steve assumes as the two stop walking towards each other.
"I blew all my covers I gotta figure a new one." She explained with some surprising confidence laced in her tone.
"That might take awhile." Steve admits.
"I'm counting on it." Natasha assures.
"That thing you asked for, I called in a few favours from Kiev." Natasha then explains turning to Steve as she passed him a certain recommended file. Steve took the file with ease holding it loosely as he looked down at it. "Will you do me a favour?" Natasha asks. "Ask that agent out on a date." She tells him referring to Rachel. Steve softly blushed at the comment before letting out a small chuckle.
"She's not just an agent..." Steve assures Natasha smirking as the pink dust across his cheeks slowly decreased.
"Neither are you..." Natasha states in return. "I seen the way you look at her." Natasha continues turning the subject back to Rachel. "I've also seen the way she looks at you. Whatever happens... she has always had your back. Even when you weren't there."
"It's the same this end I suppose..." Steve admits scratching the back of his neck shyly.
"Except you panic." Natasha states. "A lot more..."
"Hey..."
"It's true..." She assures him. "Steve... be careful." She tells him before she starts to walk away. "You might not wanna pull on that thread." She concludes walking away confidently into a new phase of her life.
"You seem flustered..." Rachel suddenly piped causing Steve to jump. "And jumpy... what did she do?" Steve shyly turned in her direction to see Rachel's sweet smile and bright blue eyes.
"It's Natasha..." Steve lies as Rachel narrowed her eyes towards him. "Always being Natasha..."
"Is she trying to set you up on a date again?" Rachel assumes placing her hands on her hips. "You're a bad liar remember."
"She is..." Steve admits keeping the lie as truthful a possible before Rachel noticed the file.
"So. You're going to find him." Rachel figures looking down at the foreign language before her before Steve opened the file to see Bucky. One smaller photo of him in his army gear and the larger one of him frozen.
"You're going after him..." Sam suddenly acknowledges from behind the two as Rose stood a couple steps behind him.
"You don't have to come with me." Steve tells him as his eyes focused on the picture of Bucky.
"I know." Sam assures him as Rachel turned her head to look towards him with a smirk. "When do we start?" He asks.
"We just did."