The freezing water below felt like concrete against Everly's back as it wrapped her in an icy embrace. Out of reflex, she drew in a deep breath and the water seeped into her lungs, sparking a fire in her aching chest. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't force herself to swim. It was like her mind had been severed from her body as she sunk deeper into the depths. The sun's light was drown out by the crashing waves overhead as a darkness surrounded her. After a few moments, all the pain had faded away and she was left only with an overwhelming calmness that settled over her every inch.
Everly's eyes flew open and she rolled onto her side as she coughed up most of the water she'd inhaled. Her fingers melted into the soft sand beneath her as her body began to tremble. She pried her exhausted eyes from the ground to see The Winter Soldier drop an unconscious Steve beside her. He loomed overtop of the pair as his surprisingly calm gaze flicked between them. Everly winced in pain as her throbbing head fell back to the sand. She watched sadly as Bucky slowly turned and walked away without a word. He saved them.
Sirens rang through the air, only adding to her blinding headache. She rolled onto her back once again and her gaze fell to Steve laying motionless beside her. The next time she opened her eyes, she was sitting atop a stretcher with people all around her. The blaring sirens had been replaced with the flashing of red and blue lights. She noticed Steve still laying in the sand surrounded by paramedics as they whisked her away toward an ambulance.
"Is he okay?" She mumbled, rolling her head to the side to better see him.
"Don't worry, we've got you. Try not to move." A woman said from beside her. Her heartbeat quickened as she looked again to see that they had yet to move him.
"Steve?" She called, lifting her head from the stretcher as they slid her into the ambulance.
"I'm going to put this neck brace on so you don't hurt yourself okay?" A man hurried as he clipped it around her throat. Panic settled deep in her chest as a few more people hopped into the back. They rushed around her readying wires and tubes of all sorts. "Alright big poke." The same voice added as he drove a needle into her arm. Everly winced and shoved him aside. The vehicle shook as he collided with the wall behind him.
"Restrain her, now!" Somebody shouted as she struggled to sit up.
"Is he okay?" She tried again, trying desperately to see around all of the paramedics. Her wrists were strapped down as was her torso, though it was only necessary for a few short seconds. Every ounce of strength dwindled from her body all at once as a wave of exhaustion swept over her. She fought with everything she had to keep her eyes open, though they fluttered shut regardless. The voices grew distant in her ears as she drifted off with nothing but Steve on her pain-ridden mind.
~~~
The first thing Everly recognized through the silence around her was the quickening beeping of a monitor. It was a sound she hoped never to hear again. She gagged after trying to take a deep breath in. Her eyes snapped open and began to water as her trembling hands slowly pulled the tube from her throat. A hoarse cough tore through her chest and she winced at the dull ache it sent bouncing between her ribs. Her eyes explored the room and she scrunched up her face in confusion. It was almost identical to the one Happy had been in when she and Tony went for a visit. The sun's glare shone through the window onto a small television tucked away in the far corner. A bouquet of flowers sat atop the little wooden table beside her hospital bed.
She groaned as she plucked the IV from her arm and sat up straight, squeezing her eyes shut when her head began to throb with pain. After waiting a few seconds, it was clear that the pain was there to stay. She ran a hand through her hair and swung her legs over the side of the bed. A frown fell over her face upon seeing the hard blue cast wrapped around her left ankle and calf. One name was written across the front in all caps, 'SAM.' She scoffed and slipped off the bed, the cast clunking against the cool tile floor. The air around her nipped at the skin left exposed from the gown she wore. Everly wrapped herself in a hug and shivered slightly as her gaze fell to the bandage wrapped around the stab wound on her thigh. Another bandage was wrapped tightly around her chest, so tight that it felt as if it was squeezing the air from her lungs.
She stepped forward, using the bed to steady her as she started toward the crutches leaning beside the door. Slipping the crutches beneath her arms, she slowly twisted the door's handle and cringed as it creaked open. The hallway was nearly empty when she poked her head out, only a few nurses could be seen dipping in and out of rooms. Everly carefully pushed the door open with her foot and started down the hall. If she was here, then surely Steve was too. Unless of course he was dead. Her heart sunk at the thought, and she tried to bury it, but it continued to claw its way to the surface.
It took a while to get the hang of maneuvering on the crutches, but she had finally made it around the corner to see guards standing outside of a room whose windows were blocked out with blinds. A few more armed guards patrolled the hallway. She quickened her pace, as did her heart as she grew closer. The man at the door did a double take and turned to look at her, but remained silent. She stopped before him and let out a shaky breath, her gaze flicking to the door.
"Can I see him?" She asked quietly, a bit startled by how hoarse her voice had sounded. The guard hesitated and looked her over once more before giving a slight nod and opening the door. She stepped inside and flinched when it quickly shut behind her. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight before her. Steve was laying in the hospital bed, his face bruised with cuts sprinkling his cheeks. Sam sat beside him, and a phone rested on the beside table as music drifted through the air. "Is he okay?"
Sam's attention snapped from the book in his lap to the woman standing in the doorway. "He's hanging in there." He grinned as his eyes raked over her. "What about you?"
Everly shifted awkwardly beneath his gaze and moved to stand at Steve's bedside. "How long has he been out?" She asked as she scooted another chair over and plopped down, gently setting the crutches on the floor beside her. The grin slipped from Sam's face and he peered down at his hands, closing his book and letting out a deep breath.
"Same as you. Three days." He responded as he met her sad eyes. She nodded in return, glancing back at their friend. The slow rise and fall of his chest was her only assurance that he was still alive. Sam cleared his throat awkwardly and stood from his seat. "I'm gonna- uh- go... somewhere else." He stuttered, his gaze flickering between the two as he started toward the door and slipped from the room. She huffed, turning back to face Steve. Her eyes darted around his bruised face, wanting nothing more than to see those bright blue eyes flutter open. She hesitantly took his hand in both of hers, clinging onto him like a lifeline.
"Please wake up." She whispered as her eyes began to well with tears and she pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. He didn't even stir.
The next few days were relatively uneventful as they waited for Steve to wake. Sam sat in a chair pulled up beside the bed and Everly sat crossed legged in a seat in the corner as she struggled to finish a word search. She groaned, leaning further back into the chair.
"I can't find gargoyle." She grumbled as a frown took hold of her features. She tapped the pencil eraser against the cast on her leg and bit the inside of her lip as her eyes searched the page. It was the only word that she had yet to find, and it was driving her insane. Finally, she sat the pencil atop the table and tipped her head back, allowing her eyes to close. "I quit." Sam chuckled from where he sat across the room. Music from his phone softly drifted through the air and was beginning to lull her to sleep.
"On your left." Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes grew wide as her attention snapped to Steve. Sam raised his eyebrows and smirked over at him. Everly couldn't believe that his eyes were open. He was awake.
Steve rolled his head over to look at her, blinking the tiredness from his vision. Her mouth fell open and her crutches clattered to the floor as she stood from her chair. She limped forward on her own, wincing in the slightest with each step she took until she'd finally reached his bedside. Her eyes darted between his and he managed the smallest of smiles.
"Hi." He said quietly, which was enough to make her melt. She bent over, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, careful to avoid his injuries. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as an arm curled around her waist, pulling her a bit closer.
~~~
It had been a little while since everything happened, though it still loomed in the back of everyone's mind. Everly found herself paranoid and nervous that the entire world knew all there was to know about her. Not everyone was as accepting as those closest to her. She could hardly bare the things she'd done, and it was unfair to expect anyone else to. The collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't only affect her however. Sharon joined the CIA, and soon became one of their best agents. Maria Hill found a place working for Tony at Stark Industries. And Natasha too was left with all her secrets having been revealed. She had hidden behind countless fronts for so long, she didn't know who she really was. Nicholas Fury was still dead to the world, which is why Steve, Everly, and Sam now stood before his flower-covered grave.
Everly dove her hands into her pockets and peered down at the chunky gray boot that had replaced her blue cast. She shifted her weight onto her good leg and huffed. Steve smiled down at her before Fury walked up behind them. He had the hood of his sweater pulled up over his head and a pair of sunglasses took the place of his eyepatch.
"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?" He asked as he approached his grave. Steve nodded lightly.
"You get used to it." A silence settled among the group and Everly's gaze flickered between each of them, waiting for someone to speak.
"We've been data mining HYDRA's files." Fury began as he turned to look at Steve. "Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship." She frowned. "I'm headed to Europe tonight. Wanted to ask if you'd come." Steve peered down at Everly beside him before returning his gaze to Fury.
"There's something I got to do first." He said as she kicked a pebble at her feet. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Bucky Barnes, their Bucky, was still out there somewhere.
"How about you Wilson? Could use a man with your abilities." Nick asked as he turned to Sam, whose eyes flicked from Steve back to the director.
"I'm more of a soldier than a spy." Fury shook his head lightly and glanced past Steve to Everly as he raised a suggestive brow.
"I'm with him." She answered, nodding toward her friend as she folded her arms across her chest.
"All right then." Fury sighed. Sam reached out to shake his hand, as did Steve. "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me, right here." He finished with the smallest of nods and began walking away just as Natasha approached. Everly smiled at the sight of the flaming haired agent.
"You should be honored. That's about as close as he gets to saying thank you." She stopped a few feet from the group and Steve stepped forward to close the gap. Everly, however could still hear their conversation and used it to her advantage. Sam began to speak and she pressed a finger to her lips.
"Not going with him?" Steve asked as he drew nearer. Nat smirked, shaking her head.
"No."
"Not staying here." He added.
"I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one." She returned as her eyes wandered the cemetery.
"That might take a while."
"I'm counting on it." She remained silent for a moment more before the grin slipped from her face. She pulled out a file that she'd been keeping tucked beneath her arm. "That thing you asked for. I called in a few favors from Kiev." Everly frowned as Steve took the file, staring silently down at it. "Will you do me a favor? Call that nurse." Natasha added. Everly's stomach dropped to her feet and her shoulders fell.
"She's not a nurse." She could hear the smile in his voice.
"And you're not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
"What was her name again?"
"Sharon. She's nice." Natasha grabbed Steve's shoulder and pulled him closer to plant a kiss on his cheek before turning and walking away. "Be careful, Steve." She spun back around, a serious expression etched into her features. "You may not want to pull on that thread."
Everly waited a few seconds for Natasha to grow farther away before walking up behind him, unable to help the slight limp in her step. She peered over his shoulder into the now open file and her eyes grew wide at the pictures of Bucky within. Sam sauntered over next, not even bothering to peek at the contents of the folder.
"You're going after him." He stated simply.
"You don't have to come with me."
"I know." He paused. "When do we start?"