Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Soldier,” The commanding officer announced as the Winter Soldier walked into the chamber, where three burly men stood defiant in the middle of the stone walled room.

“Are you kiddin’ me? This guy’s got a metal arm?! This is unfair. He’s got a higher advantage on us!” One of the men declared, turning to look at the commanding officer.

“There is no fairness in war, my dear man.” The man who announced The Winter Soldier's entrance said with an evil grin.

“Let the training begin,” the announcer stated and backed out of the room quickly.

“Are you sure of this, Schmidt?” Another man asked as he approached.

“Just watch and learn for yourself...” Schmidt answered, focusing his eyes on the brawl in front of him.

The Winter Soldier held one of the lesser husky men high above ground, choking him hard with his metal arm. One of the other men had The Winter Solider in a choke hold, though he seemed unaffected. The other man was cowering in the corner like a child.

Soon enough, the man he was choking turned a dark hue of blue and The Winter Soldier dropped him unceremoniously back onto the cold hard metal ground. The Winter Soldier grabbed the man who was choking him with his metal arm and threw him aggressively against the stone wall in front of him, killing him instantly.

“He’s getting better, more efficient with his kills. Is it almost time?” The man who had spoken earlier had asked.

“Almost. He needs more work on his left arm.” The man nodded swiftly and made notes on the pad he had been carrying around with him.

“Fantastic job, James. Fantastic job.” Schmidt congratulated through the microphone as the last man had taken his last breath.

The Winter Soldier looked up at the men and nodded silently. He walked mechanically out of the room as the door opened up for him.

“You’re doing a wonderful job, Soldat.”

The Winter Soldier remained silent, standing straight with his hands behind his back, eye facing forward, unblinking.

“Still not talking, is he?” The man commented, earning a death glare from the mysteriously quiet soldier..

Schmidt laughed heartily at the interaction. “Down, James. Behave.” The Winter Soldier, known only as James, nodded silently and followed Schmidt as he walked out of the room.

******

Memories still haunted Steve, even all these years later. All he had wanted was himself and Bucky to be growing old together, as best friends, brothers, as family. He hated himself for it. He hated himself for allowing Bucky to go to war, and getting caught by those damned H.Y.D.R.A. thugs all those years ago. He remembers when he had rescued Bucky. Steve could tell that his friend was already brain washed, or at least in the process of being brainwashed as he was mumbling to himself in the chair when Steve had arrived to rescue him. And it had frightened him at the time. And he had done everything in his power to keep Bucky safe. But he had failed. Miserably.

Steve was sitting on the couch in the Avengers Tower, watching some sappy romantic comedy while wrapped up in a blanket drinking hot chocolate that Natasha had made for him. The red haired woman was sitting next to him, laughing at some stupid text she had received from Clint.

“Hey, Nat?” Steve asked, shyly, nibbling slightly on his bottom lip.

She looked over at him with a large grin on her face, probably from whatever her phone had said. “Yeah, Stevie?”

He licked his lips nervously. “Would... would it be okay if I slept with you tonight? I mean, I can’t-- I don’t want--I don’t want to be alone tonight.” He mumbled lamely. His girlfriend Wanda was off visiting a friend over night. She wouldn’t be back until the next day probably in the afternoon sometime. He felt really pathetic. Here he was, a grown man, wanting to be babied all because he was scared of the nightmares that plagued his dreams.

She smiled gently. “Of course you can, Steve. I’ll just kick Clint out of the room tonight; he won't mind.”

“Are you sure? I feel so intrusive about asking.”

She smiled. “Darling, you’re my best friend. You have been for years now. And Clint knows you would never do anything with me, given the chance.”

Steve smiled weakly, still trying to keep the thought of Bucky away from the forefront of his mind. “Thanks, Nat.”

She smiled. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go tell Clint.”

Steve nodded and turned his view back to the television.

Chapter Text

“Have you completed the mission, Soldier?” Schmidt asked as James came strolling through the office doors, nearly knocking one off its hinges.

James threw the files and proof of murder - An ear and the tongue of the victim- onto the desk. “Are we done here? Or do you have another mission for me?” James growled out, eyes burning with murder.

Schmidt smirked. “As a matter of fact, yes, I have one more for you tonight. A girl whose name is Sharon Carter.”

“What do you know of her?” James asked, taking the file that was handed to him.

“Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She is the younger niece of one Peggy Carter.”

A flash of recognition sprang into James’s eyes, but had disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived. “How would you like it done?”

“You need more practice with your sniping skills. Snipe her; bring me her head.”

James nodded silently and walked out while looking down at the file he had been given.

He missed the smirk on Schmidt's face.

“In no circumstances Steve needs to know about this. Is that clear?” Tony asked the other Avengers two days later.

Steve was still sleeping, even though it was almost eleven in the late morning. The group agreed quickly as they hurried around the kitchen to resume their breakfast.
“How are you feeling, Nat?” Clint asked his girlfriend as she hadn’t even touched her bowl of cereal.

“Steve’s going to be heartbroken with this news, Clint.” She said quietly, feeling sick to her stomach. She pushed the untouched bowl away from her and stood up. “Shower.” She answered Clint’s unasked question.

He nodded and turned to look at Bruce who was having a hard time opening the jar of peanut butter. “Need help there, Big Guy?” Just as he said it, the jar lid popped off and Bruce smiled weakly.

This day was going to be absolutely miserable for all of the Avengers.

Just as he was told, James brought back the bloodied head of one Sharon Carter. It wasn’t an easy task, this one. She had put up a hell of a fight. But her last words seemed to strike a slight nerve with James. Please, don’t do this. Captain America can help you. Steve Rogers can help. If you just let me please.

James placed the severed head on top of the desk, much to the dismay of Schmidt. “James, we’ve talked about this. Bags?”

He nodded silently, but did not remove the head from the table.

The doctor sighed heavily and opened up an empty drawer on his desk and put the head into it before closing.

“Anything else, sir?” James asked routinely.

Schmidt shifted through the files for a moment before finding the next target. “This one. Nicholas Fury. Do whatever you must. Make sure he is down.”

“What eviden-”

“Nothing. Just do your job as asked. I trust that you won’t fail.” He said, handing James the file.

James bowed his head before exiting the building, completely engrossed in the file. He stood in front of the building, immune to the frigid cold weather as it billowed around him. He placed his black mask around his face and set out to his next target location. Ironically, it had been the same of Sharon Carter’s- New York City.

Steve stood in the pew of the church, willing the day to go faster. He wanted nothing but to get out of there as far as he possibly could. He walked up to the coffin, where the beautiful and still body of Sharon had rested. He felt himself shaking as he knelt down beside the coffin and pressed a kiss to her one of her hands before returning back to his seat, next to Natasha. She gripped his hand and he squeezed it tightly. On the other side of Steve stood Tony. He rubbed at the small of his back, whispering nonsense into his ear trying to get his focus away from the ghastly sight in front of them all.
Steve rushed to the front of the room once they had called for the pallbearers and gripped his side of the casket tightly, willing himself to stay strong. But as he was slowly walking through the church, he felt tears pouring down his face. He was losing too many people in such a short amount of time. He didn’t know how much more he could possibly take.
The Avengers went back home together after it was all over. Well, it was home whenever they called it that, anyway. They all lived in their own separate houses, but spent most of their time in the Avengers’ Tower. Tony liked to boast that it was so that he didn’t feel so alone without Pepper being around. Natasha watched her best friend walk to his bedroom, shoulders skulking in misery. She felt sad. She announced that she was going for a drive, and would return shortly. Nobody ever questioned her, though Wanda asked to tag along, which Nat was more than merry to accept the offering.

Once in the car and on the highway, Wanda looked at her best girlfriend. “Okay, what’s the deal, girl?”

“I’m making an ice cream run. I figured we could all use it right now. Steve more than anybody.” Quick and straight to the point. That’s how Nat usually was.

Wanda nodded. “You know how much that will cost?”

“Of course. That’s why I snubbed Tony’s wallet.” Natasha smirked.

Wanda shook her head. “I should have known.”

Soon, they approached the ice cream shop that sold gallons upon gallons of ice cream flavors that you could have only imagined.
Nearly twenty minutes later, and three trips to the car to put the ice cream in, (and not to mention, the $200 spent on getting it) they were on their way back to the Tower.

“Hm.” Natasha said as she peered out of the rearview mirror once they had gotten onto the highway.

“What is it, Natalia?” Wanda asked, peering behind her.

“I could have sworn I saw someone following us at the shop.”

Wanda chuckled. “Well, dear, it is the highway. Cars follow each other on here, don’t they?”

The redhead shook her head. “I don’t mean like that, Wanda. There was some creepy asshat in the ice cream store with us. He kept staring at us.”

“Well, who goes somewhere to buy ten gallons of ice cream?” Wanda laughed.

Nat shrugged, “yeah, I suppose you’re right. Maybe I’m just over thinking things.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

The rest of the ride was driven in silence.

“Report.” Schmidt demanded through the intercom.

“Still looking, sir.” James answered through his earpiece as he walked through the streets of Manhattan. It was a busy, cold and bitter day. Christmas was just around the corner, and James had wanted to have the mission completed by then. But finding Nick Fury seemed virtually impossible.

“Look harder, Soldat. You know the consequences.”

“Will do, sorry sir.” With that, James disconnected the call, ignoring the strange and worried looks people were giving him as he walked through the streets, metal arm uncovered and bare for all to see.

He walked into the next small shop and ordered a sandwich to go, glaring at the passerby. Once he had obtained the sandwich, he sat down on the bench in front of the shop to eat. Nicholas Fury, where the fuck are you hiding, you son of a bitch? He ignored the odd and strange looks people were giving him. He was used to it by now. He’s been dealing with it for as long as he could remember.

As if answering his prayers, his cell phone Pinged! And he took it out of his pocket.

Target sighted. Nicholas A. Fury. He read the location and threw the rest of his sandwich in the trash as he walked by a metal trash can. He walked swiftly through the streets in order to catch the target in surprise, pushing past people, ignoring their yells of surprise and anger.

“Yeah, thanks for the ice cream, Nat. You’re a lifesaver.” Steve said, forcing a smile as he walked into the elevator. He wanted to be alone. Why couldn’t they just understand that? He felt like shit, and it was starting to stress him out to the point where he didn’t even want to be alive anymore. And that thought alone scared him. He had never wished for suicide, or whatever you must. But he was starting to feel empty. Everyone he loved and cared about felt as if they were all leaving him slowly. And it all started when Bucky fell from the train.

Once he was sure he was alone, he laid his head back against the wall of the elevator and let himself break down for a moment. He was wiping away his tears when the elevator stopped on the ground floor, allowing him to enter the garage where he had parked his motorcycle. He put on his helmet and kicked at the motorcycle, nodding as it roared to life. The drive back to his tiny apartment wasn’t a long one. But he enjoyed the feel of the wind on his face. As he approached his apartment building, he could have sworn he saw a man with a silver arm standing in front of it, but in the blink of an eye, the guy was gone. Steve walked into the building as soon as he had made sure his bike was perched and shut off.

He whistled a soft tune as he walked up the stairs to the third floor, skipping stairs along the way. “Hey, Stella.” He greeted his neighbor as she had walked out of her apartment to get the evening newspaper.

“Hey, Steve.” She said in surprise.

He laughed. “Why are you surprised to see me?”

“I thought you had been home all day. There’s been music playing in there since around three.” Steve suddenly felt cautious. Who the hell could be in my apartment? He smiled warmly at his neighbor. “Thanks, Stella. It’s probably just my mom, stopping by for a surprise visit. She likes to listen to music while she waits for me.”
She nodded. “Oh, no problem then. Right?” She asked as she walked back into her apartment.

Once her door was closed, Steve grabbed the gun from his waistband of his jeans and carefully opened the door, aiming the gun directly in front of him. Stella was right. His old record player was playing jazz music.

“Hello, Rogers.” A voice said to the right of him.

He aimed the gun before recognizing the familiar face. “Director Fury.” He lowered the gun and placed it back into his waistband.
“I’ve come to ask for your famous blueberry tart muffin recipe.” Steve was confused. “Excuse-”

Nick had pulled out his phone and typed on it before showing Steve. Being watched. Danger.

Steve looked at Nick. “Yeah, just come into the kitchen and I can write the recipe down for you.”

Nick nodded curtly and typed on the phone again. Shield has been compromised. Not enough time. He walked next to Steve and together they walked into the kitchen.

“I can give you more recipes, if you wish, Nick.” Steve gave a stiff laugh as he leaned his back against the counter.

“No time, Steve-” Nick was cut off as a bullet suddenly flew into the open window and hit Nick square in the chest.

Steve reacted quickly, pulling out his phone and dialing Natasha’s number. “Nat, no time to explain. Fury just got shot in my apartment. Come here as fast as you can. Bring Wanda as well, please.”
Steve looked out of the window and saw a glimpse of silver in the distance. What the..? He could have sworn it was the same glimmer of silver from earlier that night, but he really couldn’t be for certain.
He only had to wait ten agonizing minutes before a breathless Wanda and Natasha were barging into the apartment. “Fury.” Natasha breathed, grabbing Wanda and pulling her closer to the men.

“Wanda- is there...” But Wanda was already working her powers fiercely.

“He has to be hospitalised. I can’t--” She choked out a sob as Natasha grabbed Steve’s phone and dialled for an ambulance.

Steve rushed over to the younger female and wrapped his arms around her and felt her collapse in his grip. “Why does this keep happening?” She cried out.

“I’ve been asking that same question for a long time myself, Wanda.” He mumbled as he heard the unmistakable sounds of the ambulance approaching.

Within seconds, two medics arrived, placed Fury on the gurney and rolled him out of the room, with Wanda following close behind after a small push from Steve.

“Nat, wait.” Steve said as she began to follow the younger avenger out of the place as well.

“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I saw someone on that building over there right after Nick went down.” Steve said, pointing to the building next to the apartment building.

Natasha furrowed her eyebrows. “Did it look as if he had a silver arm? Or a silver jacket sleeve?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“There was some really creepy looking guy at the ice cream place Wanda and I went to. And I could have sworn he followed us out of that place on a motorcycle.”

Steve nodded as he glanced out of the window, and saw a glimmer of silver again. He chucked it as his imagination this time and walked out with Nat, arm in arm, thoughts processing a mile a minute.