Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One

May 2016

Avengers Facility, Upstate New York

It was a well-understood fact to anyone who knew her that (Y/N) was an old soul trapped in the body of a millennial. She listened to decades-old music on a beat-up but trusty MP3 player, owned more records than a vintage music shop and preferred to be in bed by ten o’clock. Recently, though, she’d picked up a hobby that had truly cemented her inner grandmotherly image: scrap-booking.

Humming along to her Happy Vibes playlist, (Y/N) grabbed another photograph from the stack on Steve’s duvet and pasted it onto the colorful blank page. She removed her hands to check that it was positioned correctly and when she did, she couldn’t help but smile as she admired the moment she’d caught on camera; it was of her and Steve at Coney Island, where he’d taken her for their fourth date. Steve had been so excited to see that it hadn’t changed very much since he’d last gone in the 1940’s and since she’d never been, he’d taken it upon himself to make sure that she experienced all the best parts (although, they both wholeheartedly agreed not to ride the Cyclone). In the selfie she’d snapped, Steve’s cheek was pressed against hers and his arms were tightly wrapped around her waist as they both beamed at the camera, looking happy and entirely in love in the light of the setting sun.

“I’ve gotta be cool, relax, get hip and get on my tracks…take a backseat, hitchhike and take long ride on my motorbike until I’m ready,” (Y/N) sang, her smile widening as she raised her left hand and admired the diamond ring glistening on her third finger. “…Crazy little thing called love…”

(Y/N) had never really imagined getting engaged to anyone, let alone to a ninety-seven-year-old super-soldier with the handsome looks of a Greek god and all the snark to match. But almost two years after they’d stumbled into each other’s lives, Steve had taken her to their favorite picnic spot, gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him; in the two months since, she’d slowly but surely gotten used to wearing the ring that had once belonged to Sarah Rogers and being referred to as Steve’s fiancée. I never thought a person could ever feel this happy, she thought to herself with a sigh of contentment.

She was busy pasting another photograph onto the page when she felt a pair of familiar hands on her shoulders, followed by a sweet kiss on the top of her head. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you look when you’re scrap-booking?”

(Y/N) flashed Steve a playful grin as he sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I bet you say that to all the girls, Cap.”

The super-soldier chuckled. “Only to one, sunshine, the only one who matters.” His hand came up to rest against her cheek as he gently kissed her lips, pulling away after several moments and rubbing the tip of his nose against hers. “I picked us up some Chinese food after my mission debriefing. How ‘bout you and I have lunch together and watch a movie, take advantage of our afternoon off?”

“If you’re trying to seduce me, Steve, then you should know that you’re off to a very good start,” She smirked as he laughed and got up from the bed; she set her half-finished scrapbook aside and moved to follow, but a shooting pain in her right calf forced her to stop and bite back a wince. “Give me a minute, sweetheart, I think my leg might fall off if I get up now…” Without a moment’s hesitation, her fiancé was kneeling down before her and rubbing slow circles over her sore leg; she’d recently began learning hand-to-hand combat from Natasha and each session with the spy left her aching all over, but after the Triskellion and Sokovia she wanted to be prepared for anything. Steve was very supportive of her sessions, doing everything from massaging her sore muscles to sparring with her whenever Natasha wasn’t around, and she couldn’t be any more grateful to him for it.

After a few moments, the pain began to fade and (Y/N) let out a deep sigh of relief, smiling in thanks when Steve stopped and glanced up at her. “Feel better, baby?”

“Much better. You know, you’d make a damn fine masseuse if you weren’t already an Avenger.”

“No dice, sunshine, the only body I’ve got any interest in touching is yours,” Before she could begin scooting herself off the bed, Steve had already gotten to his feet and was gathering her into his arms, picking her up with ease and carrying her out of his bedroom with a smug expression on his face. “You see?”

(Y/N), having grown used to being picked up and carried around by her incredibly strong super-soldier fiancé, merely wrapped an arm around his neck and nuzzled against the smooth skin of his cheek. “How about a personal masseuse, then?”

Steve hummed to himself, pretending to consider her question as a smile played on his lips. “All depends on the pay.” Instead of answering, she began trailing kisses along his sharp jawline and her fingers threaded through his short blonde hair; she smiled against his neck when he bit back a quiet groan and tightened his hold around her. “Mmm, how soon can I start?”

“Not until I interview some other super-soldiers for the open position, of course-”

In an instant, a laughing (Y/N) was seated on the kitchen island and Steve was standing between her legs, his hands holding her face as his lips crashed against hers. She sighed into his kiss, her hands feeling the movements of his muscles in his back beneath his snug shirt while he groaned, one of his hands sliding down her side to clutch her hip as his tongue slipped into her mouth.

“Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y. said you brought lunch and-urgh, can you two not do that in the kitchen? People eat in here!”

(Y/N) pulled away from Steve, a little out of breath as she watched a mildly-disgusted Sam enter the kitchen; her fiancé gave her a chaste kiss and worked on straightening her blouse for her while she teasingly shot back, “You know, Birdbrain, I recall saying the same thing to you when I caught you and your date in our kitchen back in D.C., only you two were doing a hell of a lot more than kissing.”

“Don’t mind Sam, hot-shot, he’s just annoyed ‘cause I insulted his precious Redwing during our training session.” Natasha smirked as she moved to lean against the sink, flicking her long red hair over her shoulder and shrugging. “He’s very protective of his toys, isn’t he?”

“First of all, Romanoff, Redwing’s not a toy, he’s a stealth drone so get it right,” Sam lectured, doing everything he could to keep a straight face while the three of them snickered and hid their grins at his familiar rant. “And secondly, the ‘dumb nuisance’ is gonna save your ass one of these days and when that day comes, I expect you to apologize to poor Redwing.”

Steve buried his face in (Y/N)’s neck to muffle his snort of laughter and the spy arched an unimpressed brow at her irate teammate. “Whatever makes you happy, Birdbrain.” Glancing over at (Y/N) and Steve, her teasing expression softened into a warm smile. “F.R.I.D.A.Y. told us that you guys were gonna have Chinese food for lunch; will the future Mr. and Mrs. Rogers care to share with their Best Man and Matron of Honor?”

“Sure, I bought plenty for everyone!” Pressing a quick kiss to (Y/N)’s forehead, Steve walked around the kitchen island and began pulling take-out containers out of a canvas shopping bag; while the three Avengers crowded around the food and talked, she remained seated and forced herself to smile while her mind replayed what Natasha had said.

Although they’d been engaged for about two months, there were things concerning their impending marriage that (Y/N) and Steve hadn’t really been able to discuss, since he’d been busy leading the Avengers and she’d been preoccupied with the editing process of her second novel; things like where they’d live, whether or not she wanted to keep her maiden name, how they’d balance their work with their relationship…things that needed to be talked about well-before they say ‘I do.’ The two of them would be headed to San Francisco for a week-long getaway the following Monday and she was already planning on bringing it all up, wanting to take full advantage of their time away from work and friends. Hopefully there won’t be any last-minute world-ending threats, she thought with a small sigh, watching her fiancé arguing with Sam and Natasha over the different side dishes he’d ordered.

“Nobody actually enjoys broccoli beef, Steve, people just pretend they do so they can pick all the beef pieces out!” Sam insisted and turned to (Y/N) with a grin. “C’mon, Booksmart, back me up on this!”

“Oh, I don’t know, Sam, broccoli’s really good for you; besides, a well-balanced diet’s one of the best ways to keep your body healthy,” Smiling as innocently as possible, she glanced over at Natasha and gave her a subtle wink. “Isn’t that right, Nat?”

“Of course!” The spy moved to lean against the counter beside her and while the two men began dishing the food out onto plates, she continued. “And speaking of being healthy, (Y/N), did you know that one of the toughest enemies I’ve faced is tooth decay?”

(Y/N) bit her lip to keep from laughing as both men looked at them with brows furrowed in confusion. “Really? I’d say that the most insidious force I’ve ever encountered is head lice. All that itching made it really difficult to focus my brain power on math and reading, two totally exciting weapons in any soldier’s arsenal.”

Realization dawned on Sam’s face and with a playful grin, he glanced over at Steve beside him. “I don’t know, Booksmart, illegal fireworks are much more dangerous than head lice. Hey, Cap, what is it I’m supposed to do again if I accidentally light myself on fire?”

Steve, having finally caught on to their teasing, rolled his eyes and released a long-suffering sigh before answering, “Stop, drop and roll.” All three of them let out a cheer as the super-soldier shook his head in exasperation. “Sometimes I really hate the internet. You guys aren’t ever gonna stop referencing those damn school PSA’s, are you?”

“PSA’s? Don’t you mean Rappin’ With Cap?” Both Sam and Natasha burst into laughter at (Y/N)’s words and while Steve’s azure eyes narrowed in annoyance, she jumped down from the counter and moved to wrap her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but those videos are silly. You shouldn’t feel bad, though, everyone’s got embarrassing videos of themselves on the internet; my college roommate still has that video of me drunk-singing Shakira songs on her Facebook page, it’s pretty mortifying.”

Her fiancé cracked a smile at that. “Yeah, shouting your way through ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ seems a little more embarrassing than filming Captain America PSA’s for high schoolers.”

Leaning down, Steve captured her lips in a sweet kiss just as Sam called out, “If you lovebirds are gonna keep doing that, then I think you’d better watch that Rappin’ With Cap episode on Human Reproduction!”

Steve was chasing a laughing Sam around the kitchen island just as Vision hurried into the space, a tablet clutched in his hand and a frown on his red-hued face. “Captain Rogers, we’ve just discovered the location of Brock Rumlow.”

“Where?”

All three Avengers quickly crowded around the android to look at the tablet, while (Y/N) stood rooted to the spot. Her one and only encounter with the man now known as Crossbones had resulted in numerous injuries, including a mild concussion that had taken almost two weeks to heal; hearing his name only served to remind her of the day she could’ve died, but she pushed aside the dark memories to focus on the present.

“Nigeria. If we leave now, we can be there in under ten hours; that’ll be enough time to establish a stakeout before he arrives in Lagos.” The super-soldier nodded at Natasha’s suggestion. “Who do you wanna take?”

“You and Sam…and Wanda, too. We don’t know what he’s planning on doing in Lagos, so we might need her powers on this one. Vision, you stay here at the compound.” He glanced over at (Y/N) before returning his gaze to the other three. “Wheels up in fifteen, okay? I’ll meet you guys at the Quinjet.”

Once they all left to prepare for their mission, (Y/N) gave the super-soldier a humorless smile. “Be sure to give that asshat a good punch in the stomach for me, will you?”

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N), our San Francisco trip-”

“-Will happen just as soon as you get back. It’s okay, I understand how important this is for you guys.” Crossing the room, (Y/N) wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up into his azure eyes. “And I knew exactly what I was getting into when I agreed to marry you, sweetheart.” She stood on her tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to his lips before releasing him and gesturing towards the living quarters down the hall. “Now, you’d better get ready before that Quinjet leaves without you and you’re stuck getting Viz to fly you all the way to Lagos.”

Steve smiled softly and held her hand in his. “God, I love you, sunshine.”

“Oh, I know. Who else would put up with my never-ending pop culture references and eclectic taste in music?”

Once Steve changed into his uniform and retrieved his shield, the two of them made their way down to the hangar, where the Quinjet was being prepped for the mission. Wanda Maximoff stood beside the aircraft’s extended ramp, her hands fidgeting as she stared off into the distance; despite their rocky first meeting, (Y/N) had grown rather fond of the younger woman. She hadn’t forgotten how her twin brother had saved her life on Novi Grad and since his tragic death by the hands of Ultron, she decided that the best way to return the favor was to help look out for his sister. As Steve went over to assist with the preparations, (Y/N) made her way to where the younger woman stood and nudged her arm with her elbow.

“Nervous?”

Wanda jumped a little and looked at her with widened eyes. “Oh, I didn’t see you there, (Y/N)! I, ah…”

With a smile of understanding, (Y/N) took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re going to do great on this mission, Wanda; Steve’s told me how hard you’ve been training and how much you’ve improved these past few months, so all I can say is just keep doing what you’ve been doing and everything’ll turn out just fine.” Her smile became a little mischievous as she gestured with her head to where Vision was standing. “And I’ll be sure to keep an eye on your android pal over there while you’re gone.”

The younger woman blushed but nodded all the same. “Thank you.”

In no time, the Quinjet was ready for take-off and both (Y/N) and Vision bid the others goodbye; she hugged each of them before stopping in front of Steve and smiling. “Go get ‘em, sweetheart, and come home safe.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The super-soldier bent down and kissed her before following the others into the Quinjet. The ramp was raised and (Y/N) backed out of the way as the aircraft lifted off the ground and flew off into the clear afternoon sky.

Finally tearing her eyes away from where the Quinjet had disappeared, (Y/N) glanced over at Vision standing beside her and realized that he looked just as worried as she felt. “Would you like to play a game of chess, Viz?”

“Of course, Miss (Y/L/N).”

As she walked back into the Avengers Facility alongside the android, (Y/N) hoped that hers and Vision’s go-to distraction from the others’ missions would actually work this time; she didn’t mention anything out loud, but while her fiancé had boarded the Quinjet and given her a final goodbye wave, a strange feeling of foreboding had begun to blossom in the pit of her stomach.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I still can’t believe how big she’s gotten,” (Y/N) beamed down at Abbie, who was engrossed with the stuffed giraffe in her grasp. “Seriously, it feels like she was only born yesterday!”

Mara laughed and caressed the toddler’s short locks. “Tell me about it! It feels like if I blink too long, I’ll open my eyes to see a teenager sassing back to Greg and demanding to borrow the car."

The two women were seated at an outside café, catching up with one another as they enjoyed their drinks. (Y/N) hadn’t had a chance to visit with Mara in several months, having been busy with researching and writing her second book, and since she didn’t want to spend all weekend prattling around her apartment or the Avengers Facility with only her worry for company, she decided to drive down to D.C. and invite her old friend’s wife and daughter out to lunch.

From her seat in her stroller, Abbie looked up and smiled toothily before showing (Y/N) her stuffed giraffe. “Oh, Abbie, that’s such a pretty giraffe! Did your daddy get that for you?” The toddler giggled again and went back to playing with her toy. Glancing back up, (Y/N) raised a brow when she caught sight of Mara’s knowing smirk. “What?”

“You have a very natural way with children, you know.”

(Y/N) shrugged playfully. “Ah, it’s nothing; I just talk to kids the same way I talk to Sam and it works like a charm.”

“Well, if you and Steve ever decide to have kids then you’ll make a wonderful mother.” Mara remarked but when she didn’t reply, the older woman’s eyes widened in alarm. “I shouldn’t have said anything, (Y/N), I’m so s-”

“No, no, it’s okay, Mara, it’s just…” After glancing around to make sure there was no one around, (Y/N) continued. “We’ve talked about having kids, of course, but that was one of the things we’d talk more about during our trip to San Francisco. It’s okay, though, we’ll get another chance go away once this mission’s over.”

Taking a sip of her lemonade, Mara nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. “Of course you will, (Y/N)! Engagements can last however long you want or need them to, there’s absolutely no need to rush into marriage unless you know that you’re one hundred percent ready for it. Remember mine and Greg’s engagement and how long that lasted?”

“Five years, three months and twelve days, if I’m not mistaken. I think Greg’s moms almost had heart attacks when you two finally set a date.”

Mara’s grin widened. “You see? We waited to get married until after we graduated college and got steady jobs, and now look at us: we just celebrated our third anniversary, we have a healthy baby girl and we’ve been talking about adopting another.” The older woman reached across the table to hold her hand. “If you two love each other as much as I think you do then you’ll definitely be able to work everything out, no matter how long it takes.”

They finished up their lunch and (Y/N) bid the pair goodbye, feeling a little better than she had before. It was nice being able to talk to someone who understands how I’m feeling, she thought with a happy sigh, walking down the sidewalk towards Smash! Records, her all-time favorite vinyl record shop; since she was already in town, she decided to spend the rest of her afternoon doing what she’d done practically every week before meeting Steve: browsing the endless rows of vintage records for ones that she could add to her impressive collection.

Before (Y/N) reached the door of the record shop, an older woman dressed in a dark-grey pantsuit walked up to her and asked, “Excuse me, but are you (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?”

(Y/N) smiled politely at the woman and nodded. “Yes, I am.”

It wasn’t unusual for (Y/N) to be recognized on the street; she was a New York Times best-selling author, she’d had a very public feud with a major Hollywood movie studio and she was engaged to the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan. Needless to say, she’d grown used to strangers approaching her in public to ask for photos and autographs.

However, the woman pulled out a tape recorder instead of a cell phone or notepad and switched it on before holding it out towards her. “As the fiancée of Steve Rogers, do you have anything to say about the tragedy that occurred in Lagos earlier today?”

“…What?” (Y/N)’s heart dropped to her stomach. “Tragedy?”

Suddenly, she was surrounded by over a dozen television reporters, journalists and paparazzi, shoving tape recorders and cameras in her face.

“Miss (Y/L/N)!”

“Is the wedding off?”

“Will you issue a statement, Miss (Y/L/N)?”

“Do you believe that your fiancé is a terrorist?”

“Miss (Y/L/N), over here!”

Their shouts and pleas jumbled together as (Y/N) hurriedly pushed through the crowd, making a beeline to her yellow Volkswagen Bug and quickly getting in, peeling away from the curb and leaving the crowd of people behind. She drove down random streets throughout D.C. until she was sure that she wasn’t being tailed by any of the press, then parked and immediately dialed Steve’s number on her phone. It rang several times before going straight to his voicemail and the same thing happened when she tried calling Sam and Natasha; growing desperate, she frantically dialed Vision’s cell phone number and listened with bated breath as it rang.

“Hello?”

“Oh, thank God! What’s going on, Viz? I just got swarmed by a horde of journalists and paparazzi and they said something happened in Lagos!”

The line was silent for a brief moment. “There was an accident, Miss (Y/L/N). The team is unharmed, but…their clash with Crossbones and his mercenaries resulted in the deaths of over two dozen people.”

(Y/N)’s mouth fell open in horror. “Oh, God…”

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

One Month Later…

“Greg, he can’t do that! He’s changing the terms of our contract, and-”

“I know, (Y/N), I’m just as upset as you are but…” Greg let out a sign of defeat. “He didn’t even want to renew your contract at first. After what happened in Lagos last month, he’s afraid that the company would lose money on any books of yours because of your relationship with Steve. Believe me, this is the better alternative.”

(Y/N) swallowed the lump in her throat. “Oh.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a weary hand over her forehead. “So, that’s it, then? There’s no way to stop him?”

“At the end of the day, Mike’s the senior partner and he has final say. But I’m gonna fight my hardest to keep your real name on that book, (Y/N), I promise.”

Smiling slightly, she replied, “Thank you, Greg. Let me know as soon as Mike makes his final decision, okay?”

They bid each other goodbye before hanging up, and (Y/N) took a moment to stare down at her cell phone before tucking it away in her jacket pocket. She blinked away her tears of frustration and took a deep calming breath before leaving the bedroom, walking down the hall to the common area; Sam, who was sitting on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest, looked over at her with concerned eyes and watched as she flopped down beside him.

“Mike wants to publish Bring A Folding Chair under a pseudonym. He’s scared that people won’t buy it because of my personal connections to the Avengers; Greg’s going to try and get him to change his mind, but it’s not looking too good.”

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).” Her best friend wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “It’s good that they’re still going through with publishing it, though, right? There’s a chance that Greg’ll manage to convince him and if not then it’s not the end of the world; even super-famous authors write under pseudonyms sometimes.”

“Yeah, but not me.” (Y/N) bitterly pointed out. “When I was a teenager, I had this idea that I’d walk into a bookshop and see a display of all my novels, with my name printed on the cover of each and every one of them. My name, not a fake name. That’s when I’d know that I truly made it as a historical fiction author.” Heaving a sigh, she began to anxiously spin her engagement ring around her finger. “But with everything going on right now, with all the fallout from Lagos, it’s pretty stupid of me to get hung up on something like what name gets printed on a novel, isn’t it?”

Beside her, Sam shook his head. “It’s not stupid, Booksmart. You’ve got every right to be concerned about the career that you’ve worked your ass off for.”

She hummed in response, vacantly staring up at the framed record hanging on the wall; for an engagement present, Tony Stark had gifted her a rare 1943 recording of ‘Star Spangled Man,’ the song written and recorded to be performed by showgirls on Steve’s wartime propaganda tour of America. Steve had good-naturedly rolled his eyes at the gift but allowed her to hang it in the common room of the Avengers’ living quarters, and she’d often glance at it whenever the super-soldier was on her mind. Lately, Steve Rogers seemed to be on her mind all the time.

“So…how are you and Steve doing?” He winced when (Y/N) bit her lip and didn’t answer. “That bad, huh?”

(Y/N) crossed her leg over her knee, fiddling with one of the artificial holes in her jeans as she spoke. “The only time we really talk to one another’s when we’re fighting. All our arguments are about the stupidest, pettiest things but they boil down to the fact that he’s hiding something from me. Did you know that everything I know about what happened in Lagos came from you guys and the news? Steve’s refused to talk to me about it and normally that wouldn’t bother me, but…I just have a gut-feeling that…well, that he’s hiding something about that day from me. We had a fight about it that first week after it happened, and now it seems like we’re fighting about everything under the sun; we both ignore each other and we haven’t even had…we haven’t been…intimate.” She glanced over at her best friend and met his sympathetic eyes. “I didn’t mean to unload on you like that, Sam, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Sam’s large hand rubbed up and down her arm as he gave her a soft smile. “You’re my best friend, (Y/N), listening’s kinda in my job description but I draw the line at any Marvin Gaye slander, though.” (Y/N) cracked a smile and he nodded in encouragement. “There’s that pretty smile! Now, how ‘bout we go grab some lunch and watch some T.V. after Stark’s visit? Sarah sent me some more pictures of AJ and Cass yesterday and we can look at them together; those two little troublemakers’ll definitely cheer you up.” Before she could reply, Vision materialized through the wall before them, causing her best friend to jump in fright and press his free hand to his chest. “Geez, man! I think I’m gonna have to put a bell on you from now on…”

(Y/N) giggled in amusement, looking over at a confused Vision with a small head shake. “Birdbrain’s only joking, Viz, it’s okay. What’s up?”

“You both wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving, and I also wanted to inform you that he’s brought along a guest.”

She and Sam exchanged matching looks of confusion before glancing back at the android. “Who?”

“The Secretary of State.”

The smile slowly faded from (Y/N)’s face. “Shit.”

Secretary Thaddeus Ross was one of the very few people on the planet that (Y/N) could claim she hated with a fiery passion. While she was recovering from the multitude of injuries she’d sustained during the Battle at the Triskellion, several meetings had taken place on Capitol Hill to decide how to handle the fallout of the incident. A majority of the senators and representatives on the panels had agreed to keep (Y/N) and Sam’s involvement classified since they were only civilians at the time, but Secretary Ross opposed the decision and had reportedly called for their arrest, doing the same thing over a year later after the destruction of Sokovia. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Secretary Ross had it in for the Avengers and their allies, so she’d made it her mission to avoid seeing him whenever she could.

“Well, guys, I’ll see you when your meeting’s over.”

Vision frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Miss (Y/L/N), but Secretary Ross requested your presence at the meeting.”

As a feeling of foreboding settled in (Y/N)’s stomach, the three of them made their way to the conference room where the others were already seated; she sat down in the vacant chair beside Steve and stared down at her clasped hands resting in her lap, all too aware of the fact that her fiancé was looking at her and that her eyes were still a little red from crying. No one said anything until several minutes later, when Tony and Secretary Ross entered the room; Steve cordially greeted the Secretary of State but it was evident by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t too pleased to see him, either. Glancing up from her hands, (Y/N) carefully took in the somber expressions of the others just as the Secretary of State began to talk.

“Five years ago, I had a heart attack; I dropped right in the middle of my back-swing.” Secretary Ross smirked, and (Y/N) forced herself not to roll her eyes at his theatrics. Thanks to her minor in History, she knew exactly what the older man was doing; any historian worth her salt knew that starting an academic paper with an anecdote was the best way to hook a reader, and it would seem that the Secretary of State knew that tip as well. “Turned out it was the best round of my life because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the Army had never taught me: perspective. The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt; you have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives…but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word ‘vigilantes.’”

“And there it is…” (Y/N) mumbled under her breath, quiet enough so that only a super-soldier’s enhanced hearing could detect it and sure enough, Steve’s hand tightened on the arm of his chair at her sarcastic words.

On Steve’s other side, Natasha looked up at Secretary Ross with an arched brow. “And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?”

“How about ‘dangerous’? What would you call a group of U.S.-based, enhanced individuals who frequently disclose classified information to civilians, routinely ignore sovereign borders, inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?” (Y/N)’s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest, fully aware that he’d been referring to her at the beginning of his tirade.

They all watched as he activated the screen behind him and news footage (Y/N) recognized from the Battle of New York began to play. “New York.” As they all watched, the Hulk smashed into the side of a building and the camera was suddenly engulfed with dust and debris. “Washington, D.C.” She stiffened while cell phone footage played of the three Insight helicarriers began firing on each other, pursing her lips as wreckage from the ships crashed down into the Potomac and engulfed a group of bystanders in waves; she felt a familiar hand rest itself on her knee under the table, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the screen to look down at it. “Sokovia.” Images of citizens running and screaming in fright as their city began to rise began to play, and (Y/N) felt her eyes begin to prickle with unshed tears. “Lagos.” Shaky news footage of a burning building filled the screen, quickly replaced by paramedics moving the dead body of a little girl.

“Okay, that’s enough.”

Steve’s strong voice echoed throughout the silent room and (Y/N) took the opportunity to turn and brush away the couple of tears that had fallen down her cheeks. “For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” One of his aides stepped forward and handed him a thick book, which he placed on the table beside a visibly-upset Wanda. “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by a hundred and seventeen countries…it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that.” The hand resting on her knee flexed a little. “We’ve all done that.”

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” Steve held his gaze but didn’t answer, and Secretary Ross scoffed. “If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes, you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works; believe me, this is the middle ground.”

Rhodes leaned forward in his chair, a hesitant look on his face. “So, there are contingencies.”

Secretary Ross nodded. “Three days from now, the U.N. meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.”

“And if we come to a decision you don’t like?”

“Then you retire.” (Y/N) spotted the humorless smile on Natasha’s face at his blunt answer. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like a quick word with Miss (Y/L/N).” The others, realizing that they’d just been dismissed, all got up and filed out of the conference room; Sam and Natasha both shot her matching looks of concern but complied with the older man’s order. Soon, only she and Steve remained seated, making Secretary Ross sigh. “In private, Captain.”

Steve opened his mouth to argue but (Y/N) quickly rested a hand on his upper arm to stop him. “It’s okay, Steve, you should go and talk with the others. I’ll be fine.” She met his unsure gaze and after a moment’s hesitation, he nodded before getting up and leaving the two of them alone in the conference room.

“I hear that congratulations are in order, Miss (Y/L/N),” Secretary Ross remarked, gesturing towards her left hand as it rested atop the table; Sarah Rogers’ wedding ring sparkled under the room’s fluorescent lights as the older man continued. “I would’ve bet my pension that Rogers would stay single forever, seeing as how busy he’s been with the Avengers in recent years.”

(Y/N) smiled but inside, her blood was already boiling. “Well, Steve Rogers is entitled to a normal love life just like everybody else and the two of us are very happy together. Was there something else you wanted to say to me, Secretary Ross?”

Chuckling, the Secretary of State leaned against the conference room table. “Right to the point, eh? Well, Miss (Y/L/N), I was tasked with informing you that as per your pre-existing arrangement with the Avengers, you’ll also be required to either sign the Accords or retire from your…ah, civilian consultant position.”

“Civilian consultant?” She furrowed her brow in confusion. “I’m not affiliated with the Avengers and I’m certainly not a civilian consultant for them.”

Secretary Ross’ face brightened in surprise as he withdrew a sheet of paper from his briefcase. “According to your new fiancé, you are.” He set the paper down on the table and slid it over to her. “I’d assumed he already told you, since you claim that you’re very happy together. Have a good day, Miss (Y/L/N).”

(Y/N) stared down at the document as the Secretary of State gathered his things and left the conference room, anger and disbelief beginning to build within her the further down the page she read. It looks like I’ll be having another talk with Steve today, she thought, her jaw clenching tight when her eyes drifted down to her fiancé’s familiar signature at the bottom of the page.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time (Y/N) composed herself and made her way down to the common area, the Avengers were in full disarray; Sam and Rhodes were locked in a heated argument about the Accords, and both Natasha and Tony wearily looked on while Wanda and Vision talked quietly on the sofa. Steve was seated in one of the armchairs, the Sokovia Accords resting in his hands as he carefully read through each line of writing.

Not quite ready to confront the super-soldier about the document, (Y/N) walked over and took a seat beside Natasha. “That didn’t take very long, did it? I knew that something like this would happen the moment that asshat mentioned the Accords.”

“Ditto. So, what do you think of it?”

“I think that while oversight is a good thing, the possibility of it evolving into something much more controlling’s too great to ignore.” She sighed, tearing her eyes away from Sam and Rhodes to look over at the spy. “We shouldn’t forget about what happened with S.H.I.E.L.D. and how Hydra’s presence within the organization went undetected for decades. What’s to stop another infiltration from happening under the Accords?”

“You’ve got a point there, hot-shot, but you’re also thinking from a historian’s point of view.” Natasha glanced down at her clasped hands before quietly continuing. “This is all happening right now, (Y/N). If we don’t sign those Accords then we’ll only become targets in the government’s eyes, no matter what Ross says about just ‘retiring’ from superhero work.” She looked back up with a forced smile. “Speaking of that asshat, what did he wanna speak to you about?”

(Y/N) bit her lip, acutely aware of the document that was practically burning a hole in her pocket. Before she could decide whether or not to show it to the spy, the sound of Sam and Rhodes’ raised voices pulled her out of her quiet ruminations; when she looked up, she saw that they were now angrily shouting at each other from opposite sides of the room.

“And what the hell makes Ross qualified to judge what we do?”

“Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have.”

(Y/N) couldn’t stop herself from snorting in derision at the older man’s statement. “And Alexander Pierce was once in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize, Rhodes, what’s your point? Having a medal or award doesn’t automatically mean you’re right about everything.”

“Exactly! Thank you, Booksmart!” Sam exclaimed as Rhodes shot her an irritated look. She was a little surprised that he didn’t say anything about her sitting in on an Avengers meeting, but she figured that he’d finally gotten used to her presence within the facility. “So, let’s say we agree to this thing; how long is it gonna take before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"

Rhodes shook his head in exasperation. “A hundred and seventeen countries want to sign this. A hundred and seventeen, Sam, and you’re just like ‘No, that’s cool. We got it.’”

“How long are you gonna play both sides?!”

Before either man could further their heated exchange, Vision finally tore his attention away from Wanda and called out, “I have an equation.” Rhodes rolled his eyes and Sam grumbled something under his breath but (Y/N) ignored them both as the android continued. “In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”

“Are you saying it’s our fault?” Steve inquired, finally looking up from the Accords with his brow furrowed.

“I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge invites conflict and conflict…breeds catastrophe. Oversight…oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

Frowning, (Y/N) leaned forward so she could meet Vision’s eyes. “You’re right, Viz, but oversight also shouldn’t be blindly accepted out of misguidance or fear. And that’s exactly what this whole situation revolves around; a hundred and seventeen countries just realized that there’s a team of super-powered people out in the world that’re only ruled by their morals and that scares them. So, what do they do? They work their asses off to write up these Accords and, using misguidance and fear, coerce the super-powered team into willingly sacrificing their rights and revel in their newfound feeling of control.” As the others considered her words, she shrugged to herself. “If you ask me, it sounds an awful lot like what Hydra tried to do two years ago with Project Insight.”

Natasha glanced over at Tony, who was lying down on the sofa and rubbing at his temples with his eyes closed. “Tony, you’re being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal.”

“It’s because he’s already made up his mind.”

Slowly sitting up, Tony smirked at Steve and rubbed the back of his head. “Boy, you know me so well. Actually, I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache.” The billionaire got up from the sofa and made his way into the adjoining kitchen to grab a mug; (Y/N)’s eyes met Steve’s for a brief moment before she turned back to Tony. “That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain, it’s discomfort; maybe even a little fear, like Austen just said. Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?” As they all watched him with steadily-growing concern, Tony pulled out his phone and tapped it, projecting the photograph of a smiling young man. “Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way. He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall but first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world, maybe be of service. Charles didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do; he didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia.” (Y/N) looked down at her hands, clasping them tightly together in her lap as she tried not to think about all the carnage and destruction she’d witnessed that fateful day. “He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There’s no decision-making process here; we need to be put in check. Whatever form it takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, we’re no better than the bad guys.”

(Y/N) suppressed her sigh as Natasha shifted uncomfortably beside her, and she noticed Steve’s expression harden a little at the billionaire’s words. “Tony, if someone dies on your watch you don’t give up.”

“Who says we’re giving up?”

“We are, if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame.”

Rhodes scoffed. “I’m sorry, Steve, that…that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about; it’s not the World Security Council, it’s not S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s not Hydra-”

“No, but just like (Y/N) said, it’s run by people with agendas and agendas change.”

“That’s good. That’s why I’m here.” Tony retorted, his hands raised as if to placate the super-soldier before him. “When I realized that my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.”

Even from her spot across the room, (Y/N) could see Steve growing more and more frustrated. “Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there’s somewhere we need to go, and they don’t send us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

The muscle in his jaw clenching, Tony shook his head at Steve’s words. “If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s the fact, and that won’t be pretty.”

“You’re saying they’ll come for me?” Wanda finally spoke up, her eyes trained on the floor as her lower lip trembled.

Vision looked over at her with a softened gaze. “We would protect you.”

“Maybe Tony’s right.” The rest of the room looked surprised by Natasha’s statement. “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off…”

“Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?”

(Y/N) silently agreed with her best friend’s point, but she listened as the spy hurriedly explained, “I’m just…I’m reading the terrain. We have made some…very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.”

Tony’s expression was a mixture of confusion and elation. “Focus up. I’m sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?”

“Oh, I want to take it back now…”

As the room once again erupted into a cacophony of voices, (Y/N) met Steve’s exasperated gaze and instead of sympathy, all she felt towards him was anger as she thought of the document Secretary Ross had given her. Gesturing towards the hallway, (Y/N) got up from the sofa and left the lounge, not stopping until she stood by the floor-length window at the end of the hall.

She didn’t turn around as Steve’s footsteps approached and he sighed once he moved to stand beside her. “I can’t believe them back there. You and Sam are the only ones who recognize how dangerous-”

“What the hell is this, Steve?” (Y/N) interrupted, pulling the folded-up document from her pocket and holding it up for the stunned super-soldier to see. He slowly took the paper from her and she watched with narrowed eyes as he unfolded it and scanned its contents. “Why’s there an official document classifying me as a civilian consultant to the Avengers with your signature on it?”

Steve looked up from the document with a guarded expression on his face. “Before you get angry, can I please explain?”

“Oh, I’m already angry but sure, go ahead.”

(Y/N) folded her arms over her chest and watched as Steve exhaled through his nose. “Right after Sokovia, Fury caught wind that some of the politicians on Capitol Hill wanted to bring you, Sam and Wanda in for questioning. As a precaution, he convinced me to quickly and privately classify the three of you as civilian consultants to the Avengers, which meant that everything you’d done to help us against Ultron would’ve been justified.” Seeing the hardened expression on her face, Steve hurriedly continued. “I didn’t have a choice, (Y/N), they were threatening to arrest the three of you and you were still busy dealing with your lawsuit-”

“I understand that you did what you had to do, Steve, but why didn’t you just tell me about it?” She interrupted. “We’ve been together for almost a year and it never once crossed your mind to let me know what you did to keep me from being arrested? And what about Sam and Wanda and the rest of the team, do they know or did you keep this from them too?”

“I didn’t tell any of you because it wasn’t something that you needed to know! Sam and Wanda officially joined the Avengers not long after and you…” Steve trailed off, beginning to pace back and forth in frustration. “I was only trying to protect you, (Y/N)…”

“Is that why you haven’t talked to me about what happened in Lagos? Because you’re trying to protect me from something?”

Steve’s jaw clenched. “Of course not.”

“That’s bullshit, Steve, and you know it! All we’ve been doing this past month is fighting, fighting because you’re not being honest with me and now I find out from Secretary Ross of all people that for almost a year, I’ve apparently been employed by the Avengers and because of that paper you drew up and sighed without my knowledge, I’m now being forced to decide whether or not to sign these damn Accords!” (Y/N) exclaimed, all the pain and anger she’d been feeling for the past month finally boiling over as she looked up into her fiancé’s hardened expression. “Tell me how I’m supposed to marry someone who does things like that to me without as much as a second thought.”

The hallway was dead-silent as the two of them turned away from one another, (Y/N) looking back towards the window and Steve staring in the opposite direction. She blinked back her tears and opened her mouth to apologize, but was interrupted by the buzzing of his cell phone; glancing over her shoulder, she watched as he pulled the phone out of his pocket and read the screen. Her anger began to falter as she watched the super-soldier freeze, his expression twisting in pain and his eyes remaining trained on his phone.

“…Steve?”

The super-soldier didn’t look up as he held out his phone towards her, and (Y/N)’s stomach twisted into knots as she slowly accepted it. Staring down at the screen, her heart suddenly dropped when she read the text that he’d just received.

+44 0207-946-0722: She’s gone. In her sleep.

Peggy Carter’s health had been on the decline for the past four months and during their last visit before Lagos, the nurses at her retirement home had warned them that she didn’t have much time left. (Y/N) had been dreading the day Steve would receive the news that one of his last ties to his old life had passed away, but nothing could’ve prepared her for when it actually arrived.

When she finally tore her gaze away from the phone, she saw that Steve was slumped against the wall and his head was lowered as he pinched the bridge of his nose; she was a little unsure of what to say or do but when she noticed that his shoulders were heaving with suppressed sobs, she found herself stepping forward and tentatively wrapping her arms around his waist. Steve instantly latched onto her, burying his face in the crook of her neck as his hands clutched at her back and his tears dampened her skin.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

Once (Y/N) jotted down the final sentence of her eulogy, she set her pen down on the hotel room’s desk and leaned back in the uncomfortable chair with a weary sigh.

“Wherever you are, Peggy Carter, I hope it’s somewhere beautiful.” (Y/N) smiled sadly, glancing up at the ceiling as memories of the extraordinary woman came to mind; because of hers and Steve’s busy schedules, they’d only seen Peggy a handful of times at the retirement home but (Y/N) had treasured each and every one of their visits. Even before she met Steve, the legendary S.H.I.E.L.D. director had made quite an impact on her life, so it meant a lot to her that she’d been able to spend time with her at all.

She stood up from the desk chair and made her way over to her opened suitcase, pulling out her black dress and ironing it before hanging it up in the closet; Peggy’s funeral wasn’t until the next morning but since she didn’t know how long Steve would take to get ready in the morning, she decided to lay out her outfit that evening. Better than wasting time wrangling a straight answer out of him when he gets back, she thought to herself while she worked, her shoulders sagging in defeat as she caught sight of her engagement ring.

Steve hadn’t spoken to her for two whole days; he’d talked to her, of course, but he hadn’t said a single word to her about Peggy, the Accords or their fight back at the Avengers Facility. On the long flight to London for Peggy’s funeral, he’d feigned sleep the entire time and (Y/N) tried to ignore the pang of rejection as she stared out the small window, listening to her music and making small talk with Sam. When they arrived at their hotel room he’d dropped off his luggage and immediately left, claiming he had somewhere he needed to visit, and he hadn’t been back since. All (Y/N) wanted to do was apologize to Steve. While she stood by everything she said during their latest argument, she truly hadn’t meant to question their engagement and their entire future together.

“Tell me how I’m supposed to marry someone who does things like that to me without as much as a second thought.”

A knock on the room’s door startled her out of her thoughts. Dropping her black heels and darkened tights onto the bed, (Y/N) hurried to the door and threw it open as she spoke, “Steve, I…” Her words trailed off when she realized that it was her best friend standing before her and not her fiancé. “Oh. Hey, Sam. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, just wanted to see how you’re doing.” He gave her a small smile as she allowed him to enter. “Did you finish writing your eulogy?”

“Yep, it’s on the desk if you wanted to read it. You know, I still don’t know why Peggy’s family wanted me of all people to speak at the funeral; I was going to ask Steve about it, but…” Trailing off, (Y/N) sat down on the edge of the bed and began polishing her heels with more force than necessary. “Anyway, it’s confusing but I’m more than happy to do it. That reminds me, Sam, do you…do you mind if I sleep in your room tonight?”

Sam walked over to her and knelt on the floor so that they were nearly eye-to-eye, his face full of sympathy and understanding. “(Y/N), you’ve gotta talk things through with Steve eventually.”

She tossed the shoe and cloth down on the bed in outrage. “I want to talk to him but it’s a little hard to when he’s not around! He’s ignored me for the past two days and he ran off as soon as we got here; what am I supposed to do, track him down and force him to listen to me?!”

“Steve didn’t run off, he…he’s been in my room and we’ve been talking. He told me about the civilian consultant thing and apologized for not telling us about it; I won’t lie, it pissed me off a little but I get why he didn’t say anything.” With a small shrug, Sam moved to sit beside her on the edge of the bed and held her hand in his. “After that, he told me a bit about the fight you two had the other day and then he left to visit the cathedral.”

(Y/N)’s brow rose as she regarded the man next to her. “Oh, I recognize that tone. You’re about to go all ‘Certified Kick-Ass Counselor’ on me, aren’t you?”

Sam smiled a little. “More like ‘overprotective best friend who also happens to be a certified kick-ass counselor,’ but that’s a bit of a mouthful. Look, Steve’s trying to be respectful of your boundaries right now, (Y/N); he’s waiting for you to let him know that you’re ready to hear his apology because he understands that he’s betrayed your trust. That, coupled with losing one of his last ties to the past and all the controversy over the Accords…well, it’s a lot for a person to handle all at once, even a super-soldier.” He gave her hand a small squeeze. “I’m not gonna tell you what to do, Booksmart, but if you want a little free advice, send him a text and talk it out; it won’t fix everything going on between you two, but it’s a great first step.”

“What would I ever do without you, Birdbrain?” She watched as Sam scoffed and glanced away with an embarrassed grin on his face, and she bumped his elbow with her own. “I’m serious! You’re my best friend, Sam, the best one I’ve ever had. Thank you.” They shared a warm smile and she rested the side of her head against his shoulder, her eyes trained on the dusky sky outside her room’s window as she asked, “Are you going to sign?”

“I’ve thought it over, and I don’t see how I can. What about you?”

“…I don’t know just yet. I don’t…I need more time to think it over and I want to talk about it with Steve.”

The two of them sat together in silence for several more moments, until Sam pressed a chaste kiss to her brow and stood. “Well, we’ve got an early morning tomorrow so I think I’ll head to bed.” With one last pointed look, her best friend headed out the door and left her alone to consider everything he’d said. Talking is the logical first step, she thought to herself, nervously biting her lip as she got up from the bed and retrieved her cell phone from her purse; she only hesitated for a brief moment before typing out two short messages, slipping the purse strap over her shoulder and heading down the hall to the elevator.

(Y/N): I’ll be in the hotel bar if you wanted to talk.

(Y/N): I miss you, sweetheart.

She’d just ordered two bourbon sodas when Steve entered the hotel’s bar, scanning the room until finally spotting her towards the back. He strode through the dimly-lit room with purpose but once he reached her secluded table, his confidence seemed to falter a bit; his reddened eyes met hers and he offered her the ghost of his usual smile. “Hey.”

“Hi. I’m glad that you came, Steve.” (Y/N) spoke timidly as the super-soldier sat in the seat across from her. “How’re you feeling?”

He shrugged and glanced down at the smooth table top. “Numb, I guess. Like how I felt when Bucky fell off that train in ’44.” The waiter brought over the two drinks and (Y/N) quietly thanked him as he left, taking a sip of hers as Steve stared unmoving at his. “When we got back to London after that mission, I tried my damnedest to get drunk, must’ve downed ten bottles of scotch that night but I didn’t feel a damn thing. One of the many downsides of being a super-soldier, I guess.”

(Y/N) offered him a small smile as she quipped, “Makes you kind of wish that Thor was around to offer up some of his imported Asgardian ale, doesn’t it?”

That seemed to cheer him up a little, his eyes glimmering and the corner of his mouth lifting up in amusement. “Yeah, I could do with some of that magic ale right about now, even if it’s been ‘aged for a thousand years and isn’t meant for mere mortal men.’” They chuckled at his imitation of the Asgardian and once their laughter subsided, Steve took a long drink of his glass and sighed. “I’m so sorry, (Y/N). I should’ve told you about the civilian consultant thing and you’ve got every right to be angry with me. I understand if you don’t accept my apology, I really do, but you deserved to hear one.”

“Steve…” (Y/N) reached forward and gently took hold of his free hand. “I’m sorry, too. What I said about our engagement was uncalled for and I shouldn’t have overreacted like that, it’s just…after everything that happened last year with the damn studio contract and NDA, honesty’s become a really important thing to me.” Steve’s thumb began rubbing soothing circles over her knuckles, brushing the side of her engagement ring with every pass; after a moment, she let out a small sigh and met his timid gaze. “When we get back home, I think…I think that the two of us should talk.”

“About the Accords?”

She nodded. “Yes, but we should also talk about the fighting…maybe get down to the root of it…?” Steve bit his bottom lip as he considered her words and the tension in her shoulders began easing up when he finally nodded. “Whatever it is, we can work through it together. We make a damn good team, after all.”

“Of course we do, sunshine.” Her fiancé smiled softly before lifting his half-empty glass and holding it up in her direction. “To Peggy Carter.”

(Y/N) lifted her own glass and clinked it against his. “To Peggy Carter.”

Once they’d both finished their drinks, they made their way back up to their hotel room in comfortable silence, still holding each other’s hand. (Y/N) finally released his once they got to their room, walking over to her opened suitcase and rifling through it in search of her pajamas and toiletry bag. In her peripheral vision, she watched as Steve stood by the closed door with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking as though he was unsure of what to do next.

“I, um, I think I’m gonna go for a walk…to clear my head…”

She looked up from her suitcase and flashed him a smile. “All right.”

But Steve made no move to leave, his eyes still trained on hers and his expression suddenly unreadable; something in the air shifted and it was as if their minds were inexplicitly synchronized when a heartbeat later, they both surged forward and into each other’s arms, fervently kissing one another as if their lives depended on it. They soon stumbled onto the bed and their clothing was hurriedly discarded. In between desperate and passion-filled kisses, they breathlessly reaffirmed their love for one another over and over again and the evening seemed to last an eternity; their hands grasped at one another with a bruising force, teeth nipped and scraped across each other’s heated skin, and frantic kisses muffled their ragged moans.

Late that evening, (Y/N) had a realization as she stared up at the dark ceiling and attempted to calm her racing heart: Steve had needed her, he’d needed to believe that after all the loss he’d experienced in his life she’d still be there and that she needed him just as much. I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, she thought to herself, rolling over to rest her head on the flushed skin of Steve’s shoulder and smiling tiredly when he held her close.

“I love you, baby,” Steve quietly murmured, his fingertips gently caressing her bare arm as she snuggled to his side. “More than you can ever know.”

She brushed her lips against his collarbone in a brief kiss. “I love you too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, (Y/N) stood beside Sam and watched as the pallbearers carried Peggy’s coffin down the aisle of the packed cathedral to the altar. A lump formed in her throat when she noticed Steve’s red eyes and trembling lip as he passed by, but she held back her own tears, wanting to be strong for her distraught fiancé; once they gently set the wooden Union Jack-draped coffin down, the six men found their seats and Steve’s hand immediately found hers as they all sat. The three of them listened to the priest’s reading and sang a hymn, although (Y/N) watched Steve merely mouth the words out of the corner of her eye. Then came the eulogies; the first was read by an old S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague and the second had been read by one of Peggy’s many godchildren.

“Now, I wish to invite (Y/N) (Y/L/N) up to speak.”

Giving Steve’s hand a final squeeze, (Y/N) stood up and made her way to the podium at the front of the cathedral, nodding in thanks at the priest before pulling out her handwritten eulogy. “Like many schoolchildren before me, I learned about Margaret Carter in my history classes and she quickly became one of my heroes, the perfect role model for a little girl who had no desire to do what society told her to.” The mourners in the pews chuckled lightly at that. “As I grew up Peggy’s life continued to inspire me, leading me to write my first historical fiction novel about a young female spy operating at the height of the Cold War. I was honored to finally meet my hero just last year and while it was truly fascinating to listen to her speak about her trailblazing life, it was even more of a thrill to realize that, despite her larger-than-life public image, just how ordinary she was.” She smiled despite her unshed tears. “She loved music, for one thing. She and I bonded over music during our visits and my fiancé can attest that our discussions could become pretty heated at times, like when I told her that Sgt. Pepper was a better album than Abbey Road and she told me that an American’s opinion on a British band is irrelevant.” The mourners laughed but all of her attention was on Steve, who was looking up at her; his eyes were still rimmed with red, but there was a tiny smile on his face as she continued. “I’ll forever be grateful to have met the extraordinary woman who touched my life in so many ways, and I’ll miss her with all my heart. Rest in peace, Peggy Carter.”

(Y/N) glanced over at the large black-and-white photograph of a young Peggy in her SSR uniform and gave it one last smile before gathering up her eulogy and walking back to their pew. Steve was looking down at his lap but she could tell by the way he squeezed her hand as she sat that he’d appreciated her words. I hope they gave him some peace, (Y/N) thought to herself, watching as the priest stood before Peggy’s casket once more.

“And now, I would like to invite Sharon Carter to come up and say a few words.”

A young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair made her way up to the podium and out of the corner of her eye, (Y/N) noticed Sam nudging Steve’s shoulder with his own. Much to her confusion, the super-soldier looked up at Sharon Carter as recognition filled his azure eyes.

Sharon’s eyes seemed to flick over to Steve before she took a deep breath and spoke. “Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D….but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy.” (Y/N)’s confusion only grew when she registered Steve’s small intake of breath. “She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool but it was a lot to live up to, which is why I never told anyone we were related.” (Y/N) was careful not to react when she noticed the young woman glance over at Steve once again but inside her unease was steadily growing. “I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. And she said, ‘Compromise where you can. But where you can’t, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move…it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, ‘No, you move.’…”

(Y/N)’s heart sank in her chest. She didn’t need to glance over at her fiancé’s face to realize just how much the eulogy had affected him, and a part of her was afraid that despite their agreement to wait and talk it over, he’d already come to a final decision about the Accords.

The funeral service concluded soon after and once he’d helped the pallbearers load Peggy’s casket into the hearse, Steve led her back into the empty cathedral; Sam watched them walk back up the steps with an unreadable expression on his face but he made no move to follow. Her fiancé leaned against one of the pews, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, and she stood across from him with her arms crossed over her chest. “I can’t sign those Accords, (Y/N).”

“Steve, can’t we wait until we fly home to discuss-?”

“There’s nothing to discuss, don’t you see that?” Steve exclaimed, exhaling through his nose in obvious frustration. “The Accords are dangerous, (Y/N), you said so yourself back in New York. You were the one who warned the others that we shouldn’t blindly accept them out of fear or misguidance, remember?”

(Y/N) felt her anger beginning to rise as he used her own words against her. “Yes, and I stand by what I said…but what about out of necessity? We’re planning out a future together but by already making up your mind about the Accords, you’re telling me that those plans mean less to you than they do to me.”

Steve’s jaw clenched. “That’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is that after we agreed to wait and discuss this as a couple once we got home, you go ahead and make a life-altering decision that’ll affect not just you but the both of us!” (Y/N) loudly retorted before shaking her head. “I know you better than you think I do, Steve. If you don’t sign those Accords you’re not just going to quietly retire like Secretary Ross suggested, not going to step down from the fight, which means you’ll be operating outside of the law as a criminal and we’ll…we won’t…”

The cathedral was silent for several long moments, until Steve bowed his head and quietly spoke. “I’m sorry, (Y/N), but I can’t compromise my beliefs…can’t afford to be selfish.”

(Y/N) recoiled at his blunt words and glanced over at the large stained-glass window so he wouldn’t see how much they’d stung. “Maybe if my last name were Carter then you’d finally listen to me.”

“And what the hell’s that supposed to mean?!”

Looking back to face the super-soldier’s furious expression, she spat out, “It means that you only seem to get your moral guidance from women in the Carter family and not from the woman who you claim to love!”

Before either of them could say another word, the door of the cathedral opened and Natasha stepped inside. The spy’s somber expression faltered when she caught sight of the two of them and took note the tension in the air. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No, Nat, you’re not.” Shooting the angered man a final glare, (Y/N) turned and stormed down the aisle of the cathedral, brushing past a confused Natasha and hurrying out the front doors. Stumbling around the corner of the building, she walked until she came to a small garden and after checking that she was alone, she sat down on a stone bench beside a fish pond and rested her head in her hands. “Damn you, Steve Rogers…”

As upset as she was in that moment, (Y/N) refused to sit in a church garden and sob, which was why her eyes were bone-dry as she stared down at the small pond; she’d already shed countless tears over the super-soldier in the past and this particular situation called for some serious thinking, not crying.

“‘Compromise where you can. But where you can’t, don’t.’” (Y/N) recited Peggy Carter’s sage advice to herself. Steve was unwilling to listen to reason, stubbornly refusing any instance of compromise that was being offered to him and she…well, as much as she hated the idea of the Sokovia Accords and what they represented, at the end of the day they were a symbol of unity. Perhaps in that unity, compromise and understanding could be achieved but the only way for her to make an educated decision would be to…

“(Y/N)? Hey, are you okay?”

Looking up, she saw Natasha standing at the entrance of the garden with a concerned frown on her face. She got up and took a moment to smooth out the skirt of her dress before walking towards the spy. “I’m fine, Nat, thank you. Are you headed to Vienna for the signing of the Accords?”

“Yeah, I just came by to see if Steve or Sam wanted to-”

“Can I come with you instead?” (Y/N) abruptly asked. “Before I decide whether or not to sign, I need to understand each side of the argument and I can’t do that if I stay here with him.”

Natasha nodded, her eyes filling with sympathy as she absorbed her words. “Yeah. Yeah, there’s plenty of room on the Quinjet. C’mon, hot-shot, we’ll pick up your things from the hotel before we leave…” Wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders, the spy led her out of the garden and towards a waiting car parked outside of the cathedral.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this, Nat, I look ridiculous.” (Y/N) tugged her blazer over her torso and bit her lip when both sides fell back open. “You should’ve just let me wear my black dress-”

“I told you, wearing a mourning dress to something other than a funeral’s bad luck and the last thing we all need right now is more bad luck. Besides,” Natasha’s mouth curved into a small smile as her eyes traveled down to look at her clothes. “A Boyz II Men shirt is hardly the most embarrassing piece of clothing you own, that honor’s reserved for your ‘Avril Lavigne is a lizard’ shirt.”

She cracked a smile at that. “I guess you’re right. Still, I don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself, so I’ll just find a quiet corner to hide in until everything starts.”

The elevator doors slid open to reveal the U.N. conference hall, already filled with dozens of ambassadors from a multitude of countries. “Okay, hot-shot, I’ve got a few people I’ve gotta talk to so I’ll come find you in a few.” With a reassuring smile, Natasha walked over towards a small group of people across the noise-filled room.

Making herself look as inconspicuous as possible, (Y/N) made her way through the conference hall to the enormous glass windows and stared down at the press-filled Viennese street below; she’d never visited Austria before, but she’d hoped that her first visit to the country would be under more cheerful circumstances.

Their Quinjet flight from London to Vienna had been both brief and illuminating. Natasha explained that Sharon Carter had been ordered by Director Fury to go undercover as a nurse and act as Steve’s protection, living across the hall from him for nearly a year until Fury’s attempted assassination. She’s also gone on to reveal that Steve had once asked Sharon out on a date but that she’d turned him down, they hadn’t had any contact since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. two years ago and he hadn’t known about her relationship to Peggy. The spy’s explanation helped ease (Y/N)’s worries but she was still infuriated with her fiancé, not because of his connection with Peggy’s niece but because of the way he was handling the Accords. Steve claimed that he couldn’t afford to be selfish but by refusing to sign he was disregarding everyone but himself, not bothering to take anyone else’s feelings into consideration before making a decision that would affect them all. I wonder what he’s thinking about right now, she thought as she absentmindedly twisted her engagement ring around her finger, trying her hardest not to picture him alone in their hotel room with only his anger and grief for company.

“Pardon me, but are you (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?”

(Y/N) turned to see a man come to stand beside her. He was handsome, with glimmering eyes and a polite smile tugging at his lips, and he was dressed in a tailored dark blue suit. Feeling even more self-conscious about her strange mixture of business and casual clothes, she offered him a tentative smile of her own. “Yep, that’s me.”

“I thought so. My little sister’s an avid fan of For Queen and Country and is eagerly awaiting the release of Bring A Folding Chair.” His grin widened as he held out a hand to her. “My name’s T’Challa.”

“It’s nice to meet you, T’Challa.” (Y/N) shook his hand, letting out an embarrassed chuckle when she realized he was looking down at her shirt. “I, um, I spilled some tea on the only blouse I packed and I didn’t have anything else to wear besides this. Pretty unprofessional of me, huh?”

“Truth be told, I’m a little envious. I’m not fond of attending political events such as these, but I’m sure I’d enjoy myself more if I could wear something as comfortable as a Boyz II Men shirt.” They both chuckled and (Y/N) found herself taking a liking to T’Challa. “I was hoping I’d run into your fiancé during the ratification. Would it be possible for you to introduce us when he arrives?”

Her smile faltered a little and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but Steve’s not coming. He already decided not to sign the Accords. I’m here so that I can learn as much as I can about what I’m being asked to sign.”

T’Challa nodded, turning his attention to the crowded street below. “This is a challenging situation for us all to navigate but the fact that you came here in order to make an educated, unbiased decision is admirable, Miss (Y/L/N).” Before (Y/N) could reply, an uncomfortable-looking Natasha walked up to them and T’Challa remarked, “I suppose none of us are used to the spotlight.”

“Oh, well, it’s not always so flattering.”

(Y/N) smirked humorlessly, recalling her recent experiences with being in the public eye. “A fact I know all too well.”

“Well, Miss Romanoff, you seem to be doing all right so far. Considering your last trip to Capitol Hill…I wouldn’t think you would be particularly comfortable in this company.”

The spy crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around the crowded conference hall. “Well, I’m not.”

For a brief moment, (Y/N) could see the flash of pain in Natasha’s eyes before she smiled and resumed talking to T’Challa, and she felt a surge of guilt; the spy was trying her best to keep her teammates – her family – together and cope with their challenging new reality, and all (Y/N) could do was think about her own struggles. Some friend I am, she thought dejectedly, silently promising to talk with Natasha as soon as the ratification was over before returning her attention back to the conversation.

“…Two people in a room can get more done than a hundred.”

“Unless you need to move a piano.”

They all turned to see an older man approach them, and T’Challa nodded in greeting. “Father.”

“Son.” The older man turned to (Y/N) and Natasha with a kind smile. “Miss (Y/L/N), Miss Romanoff.”

“King T’Chaka.” (Y/N)’s eyes widened a little at Natasha’s greeting; she’d been talking to the Prince of Wakanda without even realizing it but before she could fully absorb that information, the spy continued. “Please, allow us to apologize for what happened in Nigeria.”

“Thank you, and thank you for agreeing to this.” T’Chaka turned to look at (Y/N) with a sympathetic gleam in his eyes. “I’m sorry that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today, Miss (Y/L/N).”

Nodding, (Y/N) offered the King of Wakanda a polite smile and silently hated how disingenuous it felt. “Yes, so am I.”

“If everyone could please be seated, this assembly is now in session.”

T’Challa beamed as everyone in the conference hall made their way to the seats. “That is the future calling.” He offered (Y/N) his hand. “Such a pleasure.”

Once they bid farewell to the Wakandans, (Y/N) and Natasha took their seats at one of the many desks arranged in a semi-circle around a single podium. Wanting to be as thorough as possible, (Y/N) listened to King T’Chaka’s opening speech and took notes on the provided stationary. If there were more people in the world like King T’Chaka and his son then there wouldn’t be so many fears about signing the Accords, she thought as she wrote; so far, the king of Wakanda was making a strong and compelling case for them within his lengthy speech.

“When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria, were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows. We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join, and I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative. Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace-”

“Everybody get down!”

(Y/N)’s head snapped up in surprise at T’Challa’s shout of warning and before she could react, Natasha was shoving her roughly under their desk just as an enormous fiery explosion ripped through the entire conference hall.

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

While the paramedics finished fastening the bandage around her head, (Y/N) sat in the back of the ambulance and silently watched the chaos unfolding. A fire crew was busy hosing down the still-smoldering ruins and a medical helicopter flew overhead as different government agencies began setting up their base camps on the outskirts of the caution tape. The CIA agent who’d questioned her about the incident had informed her that a large-scale bomb had gone off next to their building, injuring over seventy people and killing twelve; she’d gone on to explain to her that if not for T’Challa’s last-minute warning, many more people would’ve perished in the blast.

Poor T’Challa, (Y/N) thought to herself with a pang of sadness. His father, King T’Chaka, had been the closest person to the blast and was killed instantly. The paramedics completed their work and she thanked them before quickly getting out of their way, knowing that there were many others who still needed to be helped. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her ash-covered blazer, she walked along the edge of the crime scene towards where she’d last seen Natasha and T’Challa; different international news reporters were documenting the tragedy and as she passed by one of them, their words almost made her stop dead in her tracks.

“Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous Hydra agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations…”

(Y/N) continued walking, afraid that she’d be recognized if she lingered too long, and finally sat down on an empty bench near the CIA’s base camp. Once she got over the initial shock of learning the suspected identity of the bomber, she couldn’t help but feel confused; Bucky had been on the run for over two years, ever since the Battle at the Triskellion and the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., and there hadn’t been any sign of him since. Steve and Sam had tracked down every single lead they could find but to no avail. To her, it didn’t make much sense that after all that time, the wanted man would suddenly decide to do something as massive as bomb the United Nations.

The buzzing of her cell phone in her pocket jolted her out of her thoughts; pulling it out and glancing down at the screen, her eyes widened in recognition and she was quick to answer it. “Hello?”

“Are you hurt?”

“Um…yeah, a little. My right eardrum ruptured from the noise of the blast and my lungs feel like crap, but other than that I’m okay…” She trailed off, listening as Steve let out a shaky sigh of relief. Try as she might, memories of their recent fight came to mind but she forced aside her irritation with him as she continued. “Listen Steve, I just heard about Bucky and I-”

“You’re gonna tell me the same thing Nat did: to leave it up to the Task Force and stay home.”

She blinked, taken aback by the shortness of his tone. “Well, I think she has a point about staying out of it but what I was actually going to say is that-”

“I’m the only one who can bring him in alive, (Y/N), so that’s what I’m gonna do. I just wanted to call and tell you myself so that you didn’t believe I was hiding things from you.” Steve abruptly interrupted and after a moment of tense silence, the hard edge in his voice softened a little. “Look, I’m…take care of yourself while I’m gone, okay? Don’t forget to change that bandage of yours every few hours.”

The call disconnected as (Y/N)’s head snapped up in shock and she hurriedly scanned her surroundings, but the super-soldier was nowhere to be seen. “Bastard.”

“(Y/N)!” She looked over in time to see Natasha striding over to her, her brow furrowed in worry. “(Y/N), I just got a call from Steve a few minutes ago, and-” The spy stopped herself short as she examined her assumedly-angered expression. “I take it you got one, too.”

“Yep, and I’d rather not discuss it right now if that’s okay.”

Natasha nodded. “Fine by me, hot-shot, but we should be going; our presence has been…um, requested in Berlin. At the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre, to be precise.”

Frowning, (Y/N) stood and walked alongside her. “Our? What’s all this got to do with me?” The spy gave her a pointed look and she exhaled through her nose. “Ah, yes, my ‘association’ with Steve Rogers. They’ve guessed that he’d be the first one after Bucky and since I’m his fiancée, they want to hold me for questioning.”

“Pretty much…but there’s another reason that I’ll let Tony tell you about himself when we arrive. It was his bad idea, after all.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By that point, (Y/N) was well and truly sick of flying; they’d taken the Quinjet to the Berlin-Tegel Airport, where a car had picked them up and drove them to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre. If her head hadn’t hurt so much and she were in a better mood, she would’ve taken the time to admire all the historical landmarks they passed by. And here I thought that week we spent dealing with Ultron was exhausting, she thought with a humorless smile, getting out of the car and walking alongside Natasha as they entered the parking garage’s elevator.

“When you’re questioned by an agent, be sure to answer as honestly as possible.” (Y/N) glanced up from her dirty sneakers and met Natasha’s serious expression. “Cooperation’s the only thing that’s gonna help Steve and Sam out right now, (Y/N). Don’t let the agent get inside your head, though; make sure that you’re the one in control of the situation, just like I’ve taught you. If I know them like I think I do, they’re gonna try and get more valuable intel out of you than just Steve’s whereabouts.”

She nodded after a brief moment of hesitation and the spy’s shoulders relaxed a little. The elevator stopped at the top floor and its doors slid open to reveal two men; one was Tony Stark, dressed stylishly in a dark-grey suit with a tense smile on his face and the other was an older man with salt-and-pepper colored hair that she didn’t recognize. The stranger stepped forward and shook Natasha’s outstretched hand. “Miss Romanoff, thank you for coming in so quickly.”

“Of course,” Natasha replied before glancing over at (Y/N). “(Y/N), this is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander of the CIA. Agent Ross, this is (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

Agent Ross smiled and shook her hand, but (Y/N) got the distinct feeling that he was studying her expression and analyzing her behaviors. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, Miss (Y/L/N); my niece and nephew are big fans of your novel.”

(Y/N) murmured her thanks and followed the trio as they walked down a covered sky-way, not noticing that Tony had fallen into step beside her until he quietly asked, “How’re you holdin’ up, Austen?”

“Let’s just say that I’ve had better days.” She remarked, glancing over at the billionaire with a raised brow. “Nat mentioned something about a bad idea you wanted to run by me?”

“Oh, I have a couple of ‘em, but I’ll let you get changed before I go ahead and tell you. When I heard about the bombing, I figured that you and Romanoff would need clothes so I packed some before I left the compound.”

Touched by his thoughtfulness, (Y/N) allowed him to lead her to a private bathroom and quickly changed out of her soot-covered clothing; she felt a little bit like her usual self as she emerged from the bathroom, but the comforting feeling her change of clothes had inspired soon disappeared when the billionaire ushered her into a glass-walled conference room in the middle of what she imagined was a control room.

“Sorry if it seems like we’re sitting inside a fish bowl but this is the only place where we can talk without being overheard.” Tony sat down across from her at the long table, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “And I’m sorry about the civilian consultant thing, Austen. We all found out about it last night when Secretary Ross called to ask who’d decided to sign; he seemed crankier than usual when we told him that we didn’t know what you’d decided to do.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and leaned her elbow onto the table, resting her head in her hand with an exasperated sigh. “What, does Ross think that if I sign then that’ll make Steve suddenly change his mind and decide to sign too?”

“Pretty much…but truth be told, he’s not the only one.” Her brow rose in surprise as Tony sat forward in his chair, an uncharacteristically subdued expression on his face. “Look, (Y/N), none of us wants to see Rogers gone. The team needs him and we both know how much he needs the team, so…I was hoping that if you signed, you’d be able to convince him that he’d be doing the right thing by signing too. Once Rogers signs them, then Wilson and Maximoff should follow suit and we’d have our Earth’s Mightiest Heroes all back together again in no time. What do you think?”

“You make it sound so easy…and I wish it was, Tony. I really do.” She stood and walked over to the glass wall, her eyes trained on a large computer monitor that bore her fiancé’s photograph on a wanted poster. “But you and I also know that once Steve’s made up his mind about something it’s impossible to change it. I tried telling him that refusing to sign might put our future together in jeopardy, and do you know what he said?”  Turning back around, she met the billionaire’s gaze and mirthlessly smiled. “He said that he couldn’t afford to be selfish and he left it at that.” A lump formed in her throat as she blinked away her tears and shrugged. “He respects the hell out of you, Tony, so maybe you’ll have a better change at convincing him. I’ll be there when you do, but…since I haven’t decided what I’ll do yet, I honestly don’t know how much help I’ll be.”

Just as Tony opened his mouth to reply, the glass door of the conference room slid open and none other than Sharon Carter poked her head into the room. “If you’re ready, Agent Ross would like to ask you some questions.” (Y/N) stood and spared Tony a final glance before following the agent down the hall, pointedly ignoring the jealous pang in the pit of her stomach as she did. “Romanoff mentioned that you weren’t much of a coffee drinker, so I brought you some hot chocolate instead.” She looked over to see Sharon holding out a to-go cup out towards her, a hesitant but friendly sort of smile on her face. “Might help settle your nerves before your talk with Ross.”

She accepted the beverage with a murmur of thanks and took a sip as they continued down the hall; giving the agent a sideways glance, she cleared her throat before saying, “I’m sorry about your aunt, Sharon.”

“Thank you…and thank you for everything you said in your eulogy. Actually,” Sharon stopped beside the stairwell door and gestured towards it. “We don’t have much time, but do you mind if we talk for a quick sec?” (Y/N)’s brow furrowed a little but she nodded and followed her into the stairwell, watching as she leaned back against the wall and shuffled her feet. “You meant a lot to Aunt Peggy, (Y/N), but I don’t think you know just how much she appreciated you. Back before her dementia got worse, she’d call me after her visits with Rogers and we’d talk for hours; she worried about him, always telling me that he was deliberately keeping himself from embracing his new life and that there wasn’t anything she could do to help. But then you came into his life and from what she told me, it was a night and day difference; knowing that you were there for Steve, as a friend and then as something more, gave her piece of mind. She really liked you, (Y/N), and she really respected you. I just thought that you should know that.”

“Thank you, Sharon, that…that really means a lot to me.”

The agent nodded, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. “I would’ve told you all that after the funeral but you and Steve were sort of…well, you know…arguing. I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping, it’s just that you both were kind of loud and the cathedral has crazy-good acoustics.” (Y/N) started to reply but Sharon cut her off with a firm head shake. “You’ve got nothing to apologize for, (Y/N). I’m not exactly a fan of the Accords but just between us? I think that Steve was out of line back there.” Unsure of what to say, she nodded once and took another sip of her drink as the agent looked down at her wristwatch. “C’mon, we should get going before Ross starts looking for us.”

The two of them left the stairwell and continued down the hallway to an office; Agent Ross was seated at a desk and reading through a file, looking up from his work with a friendly smile. “Thank you, Agent 13, that’ll be all.” With one last glance, Sharon turned and left them alone. “Please, take a seat.” (Y/N) sat down in the chair across from him and crossed her leg over her knee, trying her best to remain cool and collected. “Miss (Y/L/N), we have reason to believe that Captain Rogers plans on interfering with the apprehending of the Winter Soldier; can you tell me when you last spoke to your fiancé?”

“A little over three hours ago in Vienna. He called to ask if I’d been injured during the bombing and then he warned me that he was planning on bringing in Bucky himself. That’s all he said.”

Ross nodded and gestured to the bandage wrapped around her head. “And are you okay?”

“Yes, it’s only a ruptured eardrum; the bandage is just keeping the ear from becoming infected.” (Y/N) shrugged, taking another sip of her drink before setting it down on the desk. “Truth be told, I’ve had worse.”

Nodding again, the agent picked up the open file on his desk and scanned its contents. “Yeah, it seems like you have. In March of 2014, you suffered a moderate-grade concussion, GSW on your left thigh and a severe muscle contusion on the other thigh; it also says here that you even needed an emergency blood transfusion upon arrival at the hospital.” He looked back up at her with an arched brow. “Sounds like a lot for a civilian to go through.”

(Y/N) blinked in surprise. “I-it was-”

“And according to witness statements from the Avengers, the Artificial Intelligence known as Ultron targeted you last year because of your close relationship with Steve Rogers, is that correct?” Nodding, she struggled to keep her expression neutral as her fingers began reflexively tracing along her old gunshot wound. “It looks like you were just a pawn in Ultron’s plan to break the Avengers apart, and it very nearly worked.”

Her first instinct was to snap at the agent but after recalling Natasha’s earlier warning, she swallowed her frustration and gave him a fleeting smile. “The CIA certainly cares a lot about historical fiction novelists, doesn’t it?”

Ross chuckled and leaned forward in his seat. “Only the ones engaged to rogue super-soldiers, of course. Speaking of super-soldiers, can you elaborate on the nature of your fiancé’s connection to James Barnes?”

“There’s nothing much to say that hasn’t already been said; Steve and Bucky were childhood friends who fought together during World War II and when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, Steve and Sam tried searching for Bucky but they never found him.”

Nodding, the agent reached over and moved his computer monitor to face her; on the screen was a blurry image of a man wearing dark clothing, obviously taken from grainy security camera footage. “And is this James Barnes?”

“Yes, although I’ve only seen him in person once and this photo’s a little blurry.”

“Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight: Steve’s old pal bombs the U.N. meeting that you, his fiancée, was attending and instead of rushing to your side like any other partner would do, he decides to leave the country to apprehend Barnes himself. Does that pretty much sum things up?” (Y/N)’s jaw clenched tightly and she stared silently at the agent in front of her, who tilted his head to the side as he considered her. “You see, the CIA knows that you and Captain Rogers are close but what we don’t know is how far you’d go to protect a man who doesn’t sound like he’s got your best interests at heart.”

Before (Y/N) could finally lose her temper, another agent poked his head into the office. “I’m sorry, Agent Ross, I know you said that you didn’t want to be disturbed but this is urgent.”

“Fine, fine…”

Ross stood and followed the agent out into the hallway, leaving the office door cracked open just far enough for her to make out some of what they were saying. “Rhodes…all of them arrested…Bucharest…ETA in less than six…”

Thank goodness they’re all right, (Y/N) thought as relief washed over her, they’ll both be charged with obstruction of justice but at least they’re alive. Some of her elation disappeared as her mind drifted back to Agent Ross’ line of questioning; Natasha was right, the CIA was taking the golden opportunity to get intel on Captain America with the knowledge that what they were doing was protected under the Sokovia Accords. The thought of being manipulated and used that way infuriated her but what angered her more was that this all stemmed from Steve’s unwillingness to consider the consequences of not signing the Accords. You’re in control here, she told herself with a calming breath, just do everything Nat told you to do and you’ll be okay…

Agent Ross reentered the office and sat back down with an expectant smile on his face. “Well, now, where were we?”

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

“No, Romania was not Accords-sanctioned, and Colonel Rhodes is supervising clean-up.”

From inside the glass-walled office, (Y/N) rubbed at her aching temples and tried her hardest to tune out all the voices and noises filling the control room but to no avail; her mind was hyper-focused on the impending arrival of the CIA’s newest detainees and still reeling from her hours-long interrogation, despite her utter exhaustion and painful stress migraine. Natasha had kindly gotten her a bottle of water and an ibuprofen pill but she hadn’t been able to coax her into eating anything, her stomach feeling too unsettled for food. The spy had once told her how grueling interrogations could be, but her descriptions didn’t prepare (Y/N) for just how awful she’d feel afterwards; Agent Ross, despite already knowing that the tactical team already apprehended Steve and the others, spent hours interrogating her and she’d done her very best to follow Natasha’s advice, answering his questions but making sure she never lost control of the situation. The experience had made it crystal-clear that she wasn’t suited for espionage and as she sat there inside the control room’s office, all she wanted to do was see her fiancé and best friend.

“…’Cause every little thing is gonna be all right…” (Y/N) sang under her breath, closing her eyes and exhaling as she kept trying soothing her strained nerves by playing Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’ on repeat in her mind.

“Consequences? You bet there’ll be consequences. Obviously, you can quote me on that ‘cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.”

“Consequences?”

(Y/N)’s head snapped up so quickly that her migraine flared back up but she ignored it, far too focused on the three men standing together in the control room; both Steve and Sam looked tired but unharmed as Tony tucked his phone into his pocket and shrugged. “Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. Had to give him something.”

From across the room, she could make out Steve’s tight and humorless smile. “I’m not getting that shield back, am I?”

“Technically, it’s the government’s property,” Natasha replied as she walked past them. “Wings, too.”

Sam frowned. “That’s cold.”

Shrugging again, Tony brushed past the two men and followed after Natasha. “Still warmer than jail!”

Steve shared a glance with Sam before looking around the bustling control room; when his eyes finally landed on (Y/N), his tense expression morphed into concern and he quickly crossed the room to the enter the glass-walled office, Sam following close behind. “(Y/N), what’re you doing here?” He dropped to his knees beside her chair, one hand resting on her thigh while the other cradled the side of her neck, and his azure eyes roamed her face in worry. “Are you okay, baby?”

“I…no, I’m really not.” (Y/N) sensed Sam taking a seat beside her and felt the comforting weight of his hand on her back as she continued. “The CIA brought me in for questioning and Agent Ross wanted to know everything; he asked me about you and our relationship, about the Avengers. Just after Agent Ross started asking me questions, I overheard another agent telling him that they’d apprehended you but he still…he still went through with the interrogation. I just…” She bowed her head and blinked back her tears, unable to look at either man. “This has to stop, guys. I don’t like the Accords either but today’s made it pretty clear what happens when you go against what’s already been written into law. We’ve… we’ve got to compromise.”

Sam’s hand left her back and out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he shook his head in disappointment. “I’m sorry, (Y/N), but you’re wrong; today’s made it pretty clear why we can’t sign. I can’t endorse everything the Accords entail and still be able to sleep at night. Maybe you can, but I can’t.”

Looking up, she watched as her best friend stand and walk out of the office; to her surprise, though, Steve not only stayed but he moved to sit in Sam’s abandoned chair, his hand moving from her neck to cradle the side of her face as his thumb wiped a stray tear away. “I don’t regret going after Bucky myself, (Y/N) but I don’t wanna keep fighting with you…so if there’s a way that’ll help keep that from happening, then…”

“You’ll listen to what Tony has to say?” Feeling hopeful for the first time in a long while, she watched as the super-soldier nodded and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Steve.” She leaned forward and captured his lips in a slow kiss that he was quick to return.

After several moments, they separated and Steve stayed close while his fingers caressed the edge of her bandage. “Baby, are you sure you’re okay? Explosions can cause serious internal injuries and it sounds like you were pretty close to that blast.”

“It’s just a ruptured eardrum, I promise. The bandage is a complete overkill if you ask me, it makes me look like an extra on M.A.S.H. or something.” He cracked a small smile at her joke and she reached down to hold his hand between her own. “How’s Bucky doing? The agents around here kept me in the dark about how the arrest went…”

Steve pursed his lips and they both glanced over at one of the control room’s many monitors, the one that was live-streaming the inside of Bucky’s prison cell; the super-soldier was strapped into a containment pod and he was staring stonily ahead. “He’s afraid; he wasn’t in Vienna but he doesn’t know why he’s being framed.”

Before (Y/N) could answer, the door of the office opened and Tony stepped inside, looking a little cautious as he held up a flat black box for them to see. “Hey, you two wanna see something cool? I pulled something from Dad's archives. Felt timely.” Steve’s hand gripped hers while the billionaire opened the box and set it down on the conference table; inside the box were two identical old-fashioned pens. “A history buff like you should get a kick out of this, Austen; FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941.”

“The Lend-Lease bill set up a system that provided support to our future allies,” (Y/N) breathed in awe, her inner history nerd showing as she reached forward with her free hand and tentatively touched one of the pens. “Giving them aid when they needed it most.”

Steve didn’t appear to be as taken with the gesture as she was. “Some would say it brought our country closer to war.”

“See, if not for these you wouldn't be here.” Tony retorted, sitting down in the chair across from them and gesturing at the pens. “I'm trying to…what do you call it? That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?”

The super-soldier nodded once and glanced around the control room. “Is Pepper here? I didn't see her.”

There was a noticeable shift in Tony’s mood that made her frown in concern. “We're kinda…well, not kinda…”

“Pregnant?”

“No, definitely not. We’re taking a break…it’s nobody’s fault.”

(Y/N)’s heart sank and Steve’s half-smile faltered. “I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know.”

“A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up Hydra…and then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference.” As Tony moved to stand, (Y/N) shifted uncomfortably in her seat; she’d seen Tony and Pepper at a black-tie event and she remembered thinking that they’d made such a cute couple, so hearing about the breakdown of their strong relationship made her feel nervous about her own relationship with Steve. “In her defense, I'm a handful. Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and Mom always made it work.”

The office was silent for a moment before the super-soldier finally spoke. “You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single.”

“Oh, really? You two knew each other? He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times.” Tony rolled his eyes, slipping his suit jacket back on as she and Steve shared a look. “God, I hated you.”

Steve’s eyes were trained on the two pens in the box and his hand squeezed hers again. “I don’t mean to make things difficult.”

The billionaire smiled despite himself. “I know, because you’re a very polite person.”

“If I see a situation pointed south…I can’t ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could.”

“No, you don’t.”

Steve smiled thinly at Tony’s words. “No, I don’t. Sometimes…”

“Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth…but I don’t wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap.” Tony’s dark eyes were practically pleading while he continued. “So far, nothing’s happened that can’t be undone if you sign. We can make the last twenty-four hours legit, Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center instead of a Wakandan prison, you and Austen can still have a great future together…”

(Y/N)’s eyes were trained on Steve’s thoughtful expression as he reached forward and picked up one of the pens. Giving her hand a final squeeze, he stood and paced beside the conference table for a moment before meeting her gaze; she could see his resolve beginning to break and she couldn’t help but give him a small reassuring smile, her fingers fiddling with her engagement ring while he looked over at Tony. “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but there would have to be safeguards.”

The billionaire’s shoulders sagged in relief and he sat down in Steve’s vacated seat. “Sure! Once we put out the PR fire those documents can be amended; I’d file a motion to have you and Wanda reinstated-”

“Wanda? What about Wanda?”

“She’s fine. She’s confined to the compound, currently.” (Y/N)’s jaw dropped in stunned disbelief while Tony continued. “Vision’s keeping her company-”

(Y/N) rested her head in her hand and tried to keep her outrage in check as she sighed out, “Tony…”

“Oh God, Tony! Every time, every time I think you see things the right way…”

“What? It’s a hundred acres with a lap pool, it’s got a screening room. There’s worse ways to protect people.”

Steve’s azure eyes flashed with anger. “Protection? Is that how you see this? This is protection? It’s internment, Tony!”

“She’s not a U.S. citizen-”

“Oh, come on, Tony-”

“And they don’t grant visas to weapons of mass destruction-!”

“She’s a kid!”

“Give me a break!” Tony shouted, his voice echoing throughout the office. “I’m doing what has to be done…to stave off something worse.”

Steve huffed out a humorless laugh and nodded. “You keep telling yourself that.” He tossed the pen back down onto the table. “Hate to break up the set.” With a final glare, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the office.

“Steve!” Jumping up from her seat, (Y/N) ignored Tony as she hurried out of the office after her fiancé. “Steve, wait!”

It wasn’t until they reached an empty hallway that the super-soldier stopped walking and whirled around to face her. “Did you know about Wanda?”

“Of course not, Steve, I’m just as shocked about it as you are! She doesn’t deserve to be treated that way-”

“But you still want me to sign, don’t you?” He sharply demanded, his hands moving to rest on his waist. “After being unjustly held for questioning and hearing what they’ve done to Wanda, you’re still okay with supporting the Accords?”

“Steve, you heard Tony, if you don’t sign then things are only going to get worse for all of us!” (Y/N) gestured back towards the control room they’d just left as she angrily continued. “We’re all on the same side; you, me, Tony, Sam, Nat…we all want the exact same thing but in order to achieve it we’ve got to make compromises!”

Shaking his head in annoyance, the super-soldier began pacing before her. “You seriously think that the people running the show are gonna just up and amend the Accords now that they’ve finally got all the power? You’re one of the smartest people I know but sometimes you can be too damn idealistic!”

“Better to be idealistic than to be pig-headed! You’re not only dividing the Avengers, Steve, but you’re also dividing us and I honestly can’t tell if that bothers you or not-”

“Of course it bothers me, (Y/N), I hate that the choices I’m making are hurting you! The only reason you’re even the middle of this mess is because of me!” Steve’s shoulders sagged as he closed his eyes and she blinked away her frustrated tears. “I love you, sunshine, I love you more than you can ever imagine…but I can’t sign those Accords.”

(Y/N) nodded once, looking down at the engagement ring on her finger while they stood in tension-filled silence; Steve Rogers had a massive heart and an indisputably large capacity for love, but it was clear to her that his equally-large sense of morality would always come first no matter what. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked back up at Steve just as he opened his eyes and quietly replied, “I love you too, sweetheart, with all my heart…which makes what I’m about to do hurt all the more.” She slipped off the engagement ring with trembling fingers and stepped forward, reaching for one of his hands and placing his mother’s ring on his palm. “You’ve made your choice, Steve, and now I’ve made mine.”

Refusing to meet the super-soldier’s gaze, (Y/N) turned and walked down the hall away from him, tears streaming down her face as her heart broke with every step.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/N) wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting by herself in the control room and staring unseeingly at the security feed of Bucky’s cell when she sensed someone approaching; her mind kept replaying the moment she’d broken off hers and Steve’s engagement, almost as if she was torturing herself for what she’d done. You didn’t have a choice, she told herself as her stomach churned, he made it so that you didn’t have a choice.

“Do you mind if I sit here, Miss (Y/L/N)?” (Y/N) glanced over to see T’Challa standing beside her and gesturing towards one of the vacant seats beside her. She shook her head and he sat down, propping his ankle up on his knee and clasping his hands against his stomach. “We have a saying in Wakanda: ‘Apho kuhlala khona inkalipho, iintlungu zihlala zikhona’…‘Where courage resides, heartache lingers near.’” She arched a brow and the Wakandan shrugged. “It’s not exactly a comforting saying, I’ll admit, but it serves its purpose. I’m truly sorry for what transpired between you both and for how it’s making you feel.”

She nodded and gave T’Challa a small smile. “Thank you, your highness.”

“Please, Miss (Y/L/N), call me T’Challa.”

“Only if you call me (Y/N).” They both shared a quiet chuckle and once it eventually died off, she continued. “I-I’m sorry for what happened to your father, T’Challa, he was a very kind and understanding man.”

T’Challa’s grin fell and his eyes flicked over to look at the security footage. “I’ve ensured that my father’s death will not go unavenged; once his psychological evaluation is completed, Barnes will be extradited to Wakanda to pay for his crimes,” T’Challa replied, not taking his eyes off the monitor above them. “Agent Ross wasn’t pleased when I told him, but nothing will stop me from seeing that justice is served.”

(Y/N) pursed her lips but remained silent; now that she wasn’t being interrogated by Agent Ross or arguing with Steve, she remembered her earlier thoughts about Bucky’s possible innocence. It still didn’t make sense to her that a man on the run and with no recent affiliations with any terrorist organizations would suddenly decide to bomb one of the most secure buildings on the planet. I wonder if Steve’s gut is telling him the same thing, she thought with a frown as her eyes glanced over at another monitor, which showed a grainy surveillance image of the suspected bomber in the U.N.’s parking garage.

“The U.N. psychologist just arrived,” (Y/N) looked over in time to see Natasha sit in the seat beside hers. “The psych evaluation should begin any minute now.”

(Y/N) raised a curious brow when she spotted an agent leading Steve and Sam into the glass-walled office, muttering under her breath, “And is this something I shouldn’t legally be allowed to see?”

The spy didn’t answer but her silence was crystal-clear: don’t draw any attention to yourself and no one will question your presence. So, (Y/N) silently watched as more people began filing into the control room, careful to avert her eyes when Agent Ross and Tony approached; one monitor was still displaying the camera feed of Bucky in his cell while the one beside it flickered on, showing the back of who she assumed was the United Nations psychiatrist.

“Hello, Mr. Barnes. I’ve been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit?”

(Y/N)’s heart clenched with sympathy as she carefully watched the former assassin; he was staring down at his lap, his metal arm secured with restraints, and he didn’t move or speak as the psychiatrist sat down at the desk across from his containment cell.

“You’re first name is James? I’m not here to judge you, I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are?” There came no reply from the former assassin, and the psychiatrist let out a small sigh. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky.”

(Y/N) winced. Although they’d had a very brief encounter two years earlier in D.C., she’d never heard his voice before; he sounded…tired. His tone reminded her of the veterans she’d worked with in the past, the ones who’d seen and done far more in their lives than they could ever truly handle. In that moment, a part of her wished that she’d had the courage to follow Steve into the glass-walled conference room; despite their broken engagement and unclear relationship status, she knew that seeing his best friend locked up and hearing him sound so drained had to hurt.

“Tell me, Bucky. You’ve seen a great deal, haven’t you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

She could see the back of the psychiatrist’s head nod in understanding. “You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don’t worry, we only have to talk about one…”

It was then that the monitors shut off and they were plunged into semi-darkness; the control room’s emergency lights flickered on as the room was plunged into chaos. While agents scrambled around to determine what was going on, Natasha mumbled a quick ‘Stay here’ to (Y/N) before hurrying over to where Tony was standing. She looked over at T’Challa beside her and they shared matching looks of apprehension, both suspecting that something more sinister was going on.

“Great,” Agent Ross grumbled, walking past her towards a group of agents grouped around a powered-down computer. “Come on, guys, get me eyes on Barnes. Go!”

Watching the hectic scene unfolding, thoughts of Steve and Sam suddenly came to (Y/N)’s mind; she quickly turned around in her seat to see how they were doing but was met with the unsettling sight of an empty conference room. The foreboding feeling settling in the pit of her stomach intensified and without another thought, she stood and made her way over to Sharon Carter across the control room.

The agent was talking lowly into her comm link, but stopped once (Y/N) reached her and held up a placating hand. “Rogers and Wilson are on their way down there now; we figured out that the U.N. psychiatrist framed Barnes to flush him out of hiding and-” A blaring alarm and flashing red lights interrupted Sharon’s words, and her face quickly became ashen as her eyes widened. “There’s been a security breach in the holding cells.”

“What kind of a security breach?!”

Before Sharon could answer, the clear and authoritative voice of Agent Ross called out to the room, “Barnes escaped and is loose in the building! All agents, start mobilizing and stay alert; he’s on a rampage!” He unclipped a walkie talkie from his belt and held it up for the room to see. “Channel four, agents; you got it?”

The roomful of agents began following his hurried orders and when (Y/N) turned back to Sharon, the agent took a hold of her shoulders and spoke to her with calm determination. “Listen to me very carefully, (Y/N): right down the hall there’s a small room full of weapons. The power’s gone out so you should be able to enter without any problem, so go gear-up and come right back to the control room. That way if anyone breaches this floor, you’ll have something to defend yourself with.”

“Evac all civilians! Get me a perimeter around the building and gunships in the air…!”

“I need to go now.” With a final nod, Sharon ran off towards where Tony and Natasha had turned a corner while Agent Ross continued to bark out orders.

Taking advantage of the commotion in the control room, (Y/N) followed Sharon’s instructions, quickly locating the small weapons room down the hallway. She was reaching for a small handgun but stopped herself short as she remembered what Steve had once told her about his near-fatal encounter with the Winter Soldier during the Battle at the Triskellion…

“After the causeway, Hydra scrambled his mind so he wouldn’t recognize me again at the Triskellion, but it didn’t work. He pulled me out of the river, saved my life…I know that he remembered me…”

The doctor had plenty of time to mess with Bucky’s brain during the power outage, she realized in a flash, so that means that the Winter Soldier’s the one who’s on a rampage and not Bucky Barnes. Turning back towards the shelves of weapons, she made a split-second decision and grabbed a handful of stun discs similar to Natasha’s, shoving them into her pocket before picking up a walkie talkie from its charging port and sprinting out of the room to the stairwell.

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

While she couldn’t claim to be a spy or secret agent, (Y/N) had picked up a thing or two from hanging around so many of them over the past couple of years; she knew that Bucky would eventually need an exit once he was finished tearing through everyone in the building, and it was a safe bet to assume that the skilled assassin would choose to fly himself out of there instead of travel on foot at the risk of being apprehended. She was quick to locate the building’s stairwell, hurrying up the steps as the emergency lights and alarms continued to blare; when she reached the top floor, she flung open the door and stepped out into the dark and deserted hallway.

“God, I hope this thing works…” Mumbling under her breath, (Y/N) fiddled with the dials of the walkie talkie until she could hear the indistinct chatter of voices, only letting out a sigh of relief when she finally heard the one she needed to speak to. “Agent Ross, this is (Y/N) (Y/L/N). I need backup on the-”

“(Y/L/N), what the hell are you doing?!”

“Your job, it would seem! I’m on the top floor and have reason to believe that-!”

Just then, a metallic hand came out of nowhere and ripped the walkie talkie from her hands, crushing it to pieces before tossing it aside. (Y/N) acted on instinct, rolling underneath Bucky’s outstretched arm and pulling a stun disc out of her pocket; landing upright, she chucked the stun disc at his metallic arm and took advantage of the assassin’s distraction to sweep his legs out from underneath him with one of her own.

“Your name is James Buchanan Barnes, and you were a Sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II!” She shouted, keenly aware that the distraction would only last a few more seconds. “You were Steve Rogers’ best friend and a Howling Commando!” Hastily backing out of the way, she watched with widened eyes as he ripped the electrified stun disc off his arm and leapt to his feet. “Bucky, I don’t believe that you bombed the U.N. but you need to stop and remember who you are!”

Bucky’s face was blank and devoid of any emotion, a far cry from the frightened man in the containment cell. He stalked towards her and while she had just enough time to duck the first punch he threw her way, she couldn’t dodge the second; the force of his fist’s impact on her jaw sent her flying back and crashing to the ground, her wrist screaming in protest as she tried and failed to break her fall. While he strode down the hallway to where she was sprawled on the floor, she hurriedly ripped all the stun discs out of her pocket and began throwing them as she crawled backwards. He avoided each and every stun disc she threw, but it bought her enough time to pick herself up off the ground and side-step his next attack; before she could land a kick or punch, though, his metal hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her easily into the air and slamming her hard against the wall.

(Y/N)’s hands came up to uselessly clutch at the metal fingers that were digging into her skin and her legs kicked out in desperation as she struggled for air; just as her vision was beginning to darken her eyes focused on the small tear in the sleeve of his shirt and the corner of a red star it barely revealed, and in desperation she cried out, “Sol…Soldat!”

The assassin froze, and (Y/N) watched as his hardened expression shifted into confusion. His metallic hand quickly loosened and she instantly crumpled to the floor, coughing and gasping for air, unable to move or even defend herself. Bucky’s heavy footsteps faded away and with a wheezing breath, she lifted her head in time to see Steve burst through the same stairwell door she’d come through moments before.

“(Y/N)!?” He hurried to her side and dropped down, his grease-smudged face filled with pure panic as he tugged her into his arms. “Oh God, you’re bleeding…!”

Steve’s free hand came up to touch her scratched jaw but she grabbed his wrist to halt his movement, ignoring how his brow furrowed in confusion as she whispered, “G-go, Steve…Bucky’s heading for…for the helipad…”

He firmly shook his head, blue eyes already set in determination. “No, baby, I’m not leaving you.”

“Bucky needs you!” (Y/N) insisted, suppressing her wince of pain as she stared up at him with a fiery resolve; sensing the conflict within the super-soldier, she released his wrist and gently rested her hand against his cheek with a sad smile. “Go.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Steve nodded and carefully eased her back onto the ground, giving her one final look before running down the hallway after the assassin; right before he turned the corner, she closed her eyes, unwilling to watch as the love of her life chased after the deadly assassin by himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the second time in two days, (Y/N) quietly sat and allowed herself to be patched up by a kindly paramedic. Not only did she still have a ruptured eardrum, she also had a large laceration along her jaw that required five stitches, a sprained wrist that was secured in a sturdy brace and a smattering of darkening finger-shaped bruises around her neck. Others weren’t as lucky as you were, she reminded herself, sadness washing over her as she thought of all the critically injured and dead CIA agents who’d also encountered the dangerous Winter Soldier during his rampage.

Once the paramedics finished treating her wounds, she made her way back to the control room and was immediately met by a sympathetic Natasha. “Here, I got you some tea with honey; it’ll help your throat feel better.” The spy handed her a warm to-go cup before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her into the glass-walled conference room, where Tony was already seated and resting his bruised head in his hand. “Secretary Ross’s gonna be here in a few minutes, hot-shot, so please try to be on your best behavior no matter what he says to rile you up.”

(Y/N) merely nodded and took a sip of her tea, wincing in pain as she swallowed. The injuries to her throat didn’t stop her from speaking but her own conscious did; she was beginning to realize that no matter what she could say or do to convince them that Bucky was innocent, they’d never listen and even if they did, there was nothing they could do about it under the Sokovia Accords. So, she made the decision to bide her time and wait until the right moment to bring up her theory.

The three of them sat together in weary silence, the turmoil of the past two days seeming to catch up to them, until Secretary Ross barged into the conference room with his trademark sneer on his face. “You two wanna fill me in on what happened and why a civilian’s still sitting in the middle of a covert CIA control room?”

As if sensing (Y/N)’s simmering irritation, Natasha stood and moved to lean against the back of her chair, placing a calming hand on her shoulder as she replied, “Barnes escaped custody with the aid of the U.N. psychiatrist sent to evaluate him; they knocked out the power grid to the city and used it as a distraction, and (Y/N) here was already in the building for questioning. She’s one of the many who tried and failed to stop Barnes from leaving the building.”

“After taking (Y/L/N) out of commission, Barnes tried leaving in a chopper but ended up crashing it on the helipad; he, Rogers and Wilson are all missing in action.” Tony glanced over at (Y/N) before returning his gaze to the Secretary of State. “That’s all we’ve got.”

“I don’t suppose you have any idea where they are?”

“We will, GSG-9’s got the borders covered, and Recon’s flying 24/7. They’ll get a hit; we’ll handle it.”

Secretary Ross scoffed at the billionaire. “You don’t get it, Stark, it’s not yours to handle. It’s clear you can’t be objective, so I’m putting Special Ops on this.”

The spy’s hand on her shoulder flexed. “What happens when the shooting starts? What, do you kill Steve Rogers?”

“If we’re provoked,” (Y/N)’s eyes widened in horror and in her shock, she almost missed what Ross said next. “Barnes would’ve been eliminated in Romania if it wasn’t for Rogers; there are dead people who would be alive now. Feel free to check my math.”

Tony’s eyes flicked over to meet theirs, an uncomfortable look filling his gaze as he turned back to Ross. “All due respect, you’re not going to solve this with boys and bullets, Ross. You gotta let us bring them in.”

“How would that end any differently from the last time?” The Secretary of State demanded.

The billionaire’s expression hardened at Ross’ silent implications. “Because this time, I won’t be wearing loafers and a silk shirt. Seventy-two hours, guaranteed.”

“Thirty-six hours,” Ross corrected, giving them all a pointed look before turning and walking out of the conference room, calling out over his shoulder, “Barnes…Rogers…Wilson…”

“Thank you, sir!” The glass door closed and Tony slumped in his seat with an exhausted sigh as he clutched his left arm. “My left arm is numb, is that normal?”

Moving around the table, Natasha patted the billionaire on his shoulder. “You all right?”

The two Avengers continued to talk in low tones but (Y/N) couldn’t focus on what they were saying; all she could think of were Secretary Ross’ cold-blooded words and the way he’d said them without so much as a hint of remorse. What horrified her more, though, was the fact that Tony and Natasha didn’t appear to be bothered by the threat against the lives of their former teammates. This is all wrong, she thought as her vision began to blur with unshed tears, her heart sinking into her stomach while she realized that Steve’s worst fears about the Accords were materializing right before her very eyes; blinking away her tears, she looked down at her now-bare ring finger and the longer she stared, the more her anger with the two Avengers grew.

“…head downstairs to talk to T’Challa. I’ll bring (Y/N) with me, since he seems to tolerate her more than the rest of us.”

“Before you do, though, she’s gonna need to sign the Accords; I don’t want Ross looking for any excuses to arrest her so we need to do this by the books.” She looked back up as Tony and Natasha turned to her, the billionaire’s brow raised in expectation while he continued. “That okay with you, Austen?”

(Y/N) was silent for a long moment and when she finally spoke, it was with a forced calmness and a clenched jaw. “Did I ever tell you two what my new novel Bring A Folding Chair is about? It chronicles the rise and fall of second-wave feminism in America as told through the eyes of a young investigative journalist.” Getting up from her seat, she crossed her arms over her chest and began pacing. “I focus on the successes of the movement while also highlighting its failures and shortcomings, because even the most well-intended things can inadvertently end up hurting others.” (Y/N) shook her head in agitation and glanced over at the two confused Avengers. “When it came to the Accords, I knew from the moment Secretary Ross told us about them that they were wrong, but I turned a willful blind eye to the truth because I was selfish and only cared about saving my relationship with Steve. But now…now my eyes are wide open.”

“(Y/N), take it easy-”

“Do not tell me to take it easy when you just sat there and listened to Ross practically order a hit on three people – two of which are your friends – who haven’t been legally convicted of any wrongdoing!” She yelled as her sore throat ached in protest but she ignored it, all the frustration and pain that had been building up inside of her finally boiling over. “Steve was right when he said I was too idealistic; I thought the world was made up of enough good people who would keep the Accords from becoming too authoritative but unfortunately, it’s made up of cowards like us who are only looking out for our own self-interests.” Her gaze shifted from Tony’s stunned expression to Natasha, whose face remained neutral but whose eyes conveyed the pain her words had caused; she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded before continuing. “Well, I don’t know about you two but I can’t do it anymore.”

Without another word, (Y/N) stormed out into the control room and down one of the hallways to Agent Ross’ office, her uninjured hand curled into a fist at her side as she walked; the door of the agent’s office was open and he was in deep conversation with Sharon Carter, who was tapping away on a tablet while they talked. They both looked over at her as she entered the office, and Agent Ross’ brow furrowed in concern while he took in her injuries and stony expression. “Miss (Y/L/N). Agent 13 told me that you got roughed up pretty badly earlier; are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Agent Ross. Am I free to go?” The agent raised his brow, looking more amused that surprised by her demanding question, and she gritted her teeth before continuing. “In the past forty-eight hours I’ve attended a friend’s funeral, was nearly blown up in a suspected terrorist attack, was unjustly interrogated for several continuous hours, broke off my engagement to the love of my life and was nearly killed again by a brainwashed assassin. I’m filthy, I’m injured, I’m exhausted, and I’m just one more incident away from completely losing my shit so can I please leave now?”

Sharon cast her a fleeting glance and took a step forward. “Sir, she’s already given multiple statements to our agents and…well, to be frank, the Joint Terrorism Task Force is already facing scrutiny for not stopping Barnes’ escape. The criticism will only intensify when the news outlets catch wind that we’re holding an injured, world-famous author without probable cause.” Agent Ross considered her words, and Sharon shot her a warning glance before continuing. “I’ll drive her to a nearby hotel and keep an eye on her in case Rogers tries getting into contact; based on the events of the last few hours, though, I’m not so sure that he will.”

“All right,” He finally answered, his expression softening a little as he looked back at her. “But for the time being, Miss (Y/L/N), consider yourself on the no-fly list.”

Nodding in thanks, (Y/N) glanced back at Sharon and the agent gave her a brief smile. “I’ve got a few things to wrap up here so I’ll meet you down in the parking garage in ten.” She reached into her pockets and withdrew her car keys, pressing them into her open palm with another fleeting smile. “My car’s the grey Audi parked by the stairwell.”

(Y/N) walked out of the office and down the hallway but since the mechanics were still working on fixing the elevators after the power-outage, she was forced to take the stairs all the way down to the underground parking garage. She quickly located the agent’s car and unlocked it, climbing into the passenger seat and buckling her seat-belt; now that she was finally alone, she couldn’t stop herself as she lowered her head into her hands and cried, allowing all the pent-up emotions inside of her to finally be set free. In that moment, all she wanted to do was go back to when everything was normal, back before Lagos and her constant fighting with Steve and the goddamn Accords; it wasn’t perfect, of course, but it was a hundred times better than what they were all currently going through. “I’m so sorry, Steve…”

As her sobs finally began to subside, the stairwell door opened and Sharon walked through the doorway; she took a steadying breath and wiped the last of her tears away just as the agent opened the driver-side door and got it. Sharon reached over and opened the glove-box to reveal a package of tissues, flashing her a brief and sympathetic smile as she pulled one out and blew her nose. “I tend to start feeling better after I’ve had a good cry. How ‘bout you?”

“Not really, I still feel like shit except now my eyes itch and my nose is running,” (Y/N) half-heartedly quipped, dabbing at the corners of her eyes and sighing. “So, you know any good hotels around here?”

“The Kurhotel Strӧszek’s nice and it’s not too far from here, so that’ll make Agent Ross happy. On our way, we’ll stop at a pharmacy and pick you up some first aid sup-” The ringing of Sharon’s cell phone interrupted her words and she was quick to answer it. “Agent 13 here…Steve?” (Y/N) instantly perked up and with a brief gesture for her to stay quiet, the agent switched to speakerphone. “Okay, I’m alone. What’s up?”

“We’ve figured out what’s going on,” Steve’s voice answered through the phone’s speaker and (Y/N) bit her lip to keep from making a sound at the comforting timbre. “The doctor framed Bucky for the U.N. bombing in order to find out where Hydra kept him. They created five other Winter Soldiers back in the 90’s and had them cryogenically frozen; he’s planning on waking them, says he’s doing it to see an empire fall.”

“So, you three need your gear before you can go after him.”

The super-soldier sighed. “I know that it’s a lot to ask, Sharon-”

“You’re trying to stop a squad of murderous super-soldiers from taking over the world, Rogers; if this is how I can help stop that from happening, then I’m in. I’ll send you a message when I’ve got the gear and we’ll arrange a meeting.”

“Thank you, Sharon, I owe you one. How…how’s (Y/N) doing?”

“She’s okay; lacerated jaw, sprained wrist and a whole lot of bruising, but she’s fine.” Steve breathed a deep sigh of relief that made (Y/N)’s heart warm and the agent gave her a sideways glance before continuing. “You should know that she’s refused to sign the Accords. I’ve been assigned to escort her to a hotel, where she’ll stay until she’s taken off the CIA’s no-fly list and can go back home…”

There was silence over the line and just as she began wondering if they’d somehow been disconnected, Steve quietly spoke, “I’ve already asked you for one favor but can I bother you for another?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“If I write a letter, can you make sure that it gets to (Y/N)? There’s a lot that I need to tell her and since I don’t know what’ll happen where we’re going…well, she deserves answers one way or another.”

Sharon’s eyes flicked between (Y/N)’s saddened expression and the cell phone in her hand as she nodded. “Of course, I’ll pick it up when I hand over your gear. Talk to you later, Rogers.”

Hanging up, the agent tucked the phone into her pocket and quickly started the engine, buckling up and driving at a steady speed through the parking garage and out onto the street; (Y/N) fiddled with the hem of her wrinkled shirt for a thought-filled moment before stating, “You’ve already got a plan.”

“Let’s just say that I’ve been prepared to follow through on a favor like this one for a while now,” Sharon spared her a sideways glance and focused back on the road. “But I won’t say anything else about it on the off-chance the CIA decides to question you somewhere down the line; the last thing I want is for you to be charged with aiding and abetting in the theft of government property.”

(Y/N) glanced down at her bare ring finger and thought back on Steve’s words during his phone call; she was desperate to find out what was in the letter but at the same time, she knew in her heart that she needed to hear whatever it was directly from him. The thought reminded her of their conversation about the problems within their relationship in the London hotel’s bar, the last truly calm moment they’d shared before everything went sideways…

“Whatever it is, we can work through it together. We make a damn good team, after all.”

“Of course we do, sunshine.”

There’s something I have to do before Steve and the others go after those super-soldiers, (Y/N) thought to herself, her shoulders squared in determination as she turned to glance at Sharon beside her and pondered the best way to ask the spy for a third and final favor.

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven

“I hope that their gear’ll give them some sort of an advantage…” (Y/N) trailed off, anxiously adjusting the Velcro strap of her wrist brace as she glanced over at the agent sitting in the driver’s seat. They were parked underneath an overpass near Berlin’s city limits and waiting for Steve to arrive for their meeting, Sharon on-edge as she surveyed their surroundings and (Y/N) doing her best to quell her nervousness over seeing the super-soldier again; she knew that he needed to go off and stop the doctor’s plan but there was so much she needed to say to him before he did, not knowing when or even if she’d ever see him again. “I mean, you and I went up against just one brainwashed super-soldier and they’re about to take on five of them.”

“I’m sure they’ll be able to handle whatever that doctor throws at ‘em.” Sharon flashed her a reassuring smile before tapping two fingers against her temple. “And I think it’s safe to deactivate the nano mask now.” Reaching up, (Y/N) pressed the disguise’s minuscule control panel on the side of her face before pulling the now-visible mesh off of her face and hands, grimacing a little at the disguise’s strange feeling. “Yeah, I’ve used nano masks for years now and I still haven’t gotten used to how weird they feel.”

(Y/N) pulled her jacket’s hood down as she nodded in agreement. “Back when we stopped Project Insight, I had to help Nat put one of these things on to pass as Councilwoman Hawley; I sure as hell never thought I’d be wearing one myself.”

After Steve’s phone call the day before, (Y/N) begged Sharon to bring her along when she delivered the three men their tactical gear and the agent eventually relented, but not before ensuring that her involvement in the federal crime remained completely hidden from the authorities; Sharon had temporarily cloned the hotel parking garage’s security feed and insisted she wear a nano mask for good measure before sneaking her out of her hotel, claiming that the last thing Steve would want was for her to be arrested for aiding and abetting him. (Y/N) didn’t mind the extra measures the agent had taken to protect her; hell, she would’ve hidden in the crowded trunk of her car if it meant that she’d be able to see Steve again and say everything she needed to say to him.

“They’re here,” Sharon announced and (Y/N) quickly glanced at the side-view mirror to see a beat-up blue Volkswagen Bug pulling up behind them; the agent turned to her with her brow furrowed in concern. “You ready for this?”

She nodded once. “Yep, it’s just…I just need a quick second.” After giving her shoulder a bolstering pat, Sharon opened the door and got out of the car. Through the rear-view mirror, (Y/N) watched as Steve, looking just as beat-up and exhausted as she felt, stepped out of the driver’s seat and closed the door before making his way over to their car. You’ve got this, she told herself as she took a steadying breath, just tell him how you’re feeling and everything’ll be okay…hopefully.

Before (Y/N) could chicken out, she opened the passenger-side door and got out in time to see Sharon opening the trunk as she explained, “…this stuff tends to draw a crowd.” Steve’s azure eyes flicked up and a look of surprise crossed his tired face as (Y/N) slowly walked towards him; Sharon glanced between the two of them, an awkward smile on her face while she gestured towards the Volkswagen Bug. “I think I’m gonna go wait over there…”

The agent briskly walked away and just as Steve opened his mouth to speak, (Y/N) interrupted him. “I was wrong about the Accords, Steve. I knew from the beginning that they were dangerous but I still tried going along with them, because I…I…” She lowered her gaze as she felt her eyes beginning to prickle with unshed tears. “I love who I am with you, sweetheart. I love who we are when we’re together and I didn’t want any of that to change, and I know, I know that that’s selfish of me but it’s true.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, (Y/N) found herself looking back up into Steve’s reddening eyes as she continued. “I know what you have to do, but I couldn’t let you leave without telling you all that.”

“I, um, I wrote a letter to you,” With a small sniff, Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded envelope with her name on it. “I was gonna have Sharon get it to you, but now that you’re here…” He stared down at the envelope in his hands, his shoulders tense as he finally spoke. “(Y/N), I never told you what happened in Lagos. Right before Rumlow detonated his suicide vest, he distracted me by mentioning Bucky and then…then he talked about you.” Her brow rose in surprise. “He said that I’d fooled myself into thinking I could ever live a normal life with you and all of a sudden, I was the sickly kid from Brooklyn that no gal would ever want. I-I froze up and that’s when he detonated the vest. I didn’t tell you about what he’d said because…’cause I was afraid that he was right and that you’d wind up leaving. It didn’t matter, though, I still ended up hurting you and pushing you away. You deserve so much better than me, baby, you deserve someone who won’t push you away because they’re too scared to let you in-”

“Steve…” Stepping forward, (Y/N) held his face between her hands and gently urged him to look at her, her heart clenching when his red-tinted eyes met hers. “Sweetheart, I want you to listen to me very carefully: if anyone in this world deserves to be happy and to be loved, it’s you. I love you, I love you so much and nothing will ever change how I feel about you. I’ll keep fighting for what we have together – fighting for you – because that love’s worth fighting for. You’re all that I want, Steve Rogers.”

While Steve’s eyes searched hers, she was once again struck by just how young he looked in that moment; it was easy to forget that despite being born nearly a century ago, he was only a year older than her. To the rest of the world he was Captain America, the world’s first super-soldier and a relic from a bygone era, but to her he’d always been just Steve Rogers, the kind-hearted man she loved with everything she had. As if sensing her thoughts, Steve’s eyes softened and he moved closer, a tentative arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her to him as his lips met hers in a heartbreakingly sweet kiss; she kissed him back, one of her hands remaining on his cheek while the other softly stroked the short hair at the back of his head.

Too soon, the languid kiss was over but they didn’t pull away from one another, their foreheads resting together as their noses touched; (Y/N) took a moment to breathe in the super-soldier’s familiar scent before opening her eyes and seeing that his were already open and full of pure adoration. “I love you too, sunshine. You’re all that I want, and I’m never gonna stop fighting for you.” They both smiled at the same time and she sighed as his strong arms tightened around her, feeling completely safe for the first time in days. “…And maybe one day I’ll be able to give that ring back to you?”

(Y/N) nodded in agreement and pressed a chaste kiss to Steve’s lips. “One day, sweetheart.” His azure eyes glimmered with happiness as they roamed her face and just as they dropped down to look at her lips, a sharp honk startled the both of them; they quickly looked over towards the Volkswagen to see Sam smirking in the front seat as Sharon swatted his hand away from the car horn and Bucky smiled from his spot in the back seat. While her face warmed with embarrassment, (Y/N) buried her face in Steve’s neck and let out a self-conscious giggle. “Some friends, huh?”

“Pains in the ass, more like it,” Steve chuckled, brushing his lips against her cheek before pulling back and holding one of her hands in his. “So, about our gear…please tell me that you weren’t a part of stealing it?”

“No, no, Sharon did that all on her own; she just brought me along so I could see you before you leave.” She squeezed his hand and glanced back towards the Volkswagen. “Oh, that reminds me! Can I…before you go, would you introduce me to Bucky? Officially?”

Steve’s lips curled into a gentle smile at her question. “Of course, sunshine.”

The super-soldier gestured for the three to come over, and (Y/N) had to bite back her amused smirk while the two tall men clambered out of the small car. “I approve of your choice of getaway car, Steve, although my Bug’s yellow paint job is far superior.”

“Next time I need a getaway car, I’ll be sure to pick a yellow Bug in your honor,” He joked and the two of them walked over to the trio. Sam was giving her his usual smile, though his eyes were filled with concern as he looked over her visible injuries and Sharon was leaning back against the Volkswagen’s hood, her focus solely on the burner phone in her hands; but (Y/N)’s attention was on Bucky, who was trying his hardest to avoid her gaze while a guilt-ridden expression crossed his features. Good thing I wore a scarf to hide the neck bruises, she thought to herself, her heart clenching with sympathy for the super-soldier standing before her. By the way he was squeezing her hand, Steve seemed to notice his best friend’s hesitancy but his voice was steady as he finally spoke, “(Y/N), this is Bucky Barnes. Buck, this is (Y/N) (Y/L/N), my…um…” She could understand why he was struggling for a word to encapsulate their relationship; they weren’t exactly engaged and yet calling him her boyfriend didn’t seem to do their connection justice anymore.

Just as Steve’s smile began to falter, (Y/N) quickly chimed in, “His partner.” They looked at each other and shared a warm smile, both silently agreeing with the description, and when she turned back to Bucky, his shoulders had relaxed a little but he still wouldn’t look directly at her. The remorseful look on his face reminded her of the Vietnam War veterans she encountered back when she worked at the VA, the ones who’d share their experiences for the first time and have to re-live the terrible things they’d done during the war. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I know that you guys have to leave soon but before you do…” Dropping Steve’s hand, (Y/N) took a step forward and held her hand out for the dark-haired man to take, which he did after a moment’s hesitation; his blue-grey eyes met hers as she held his flesh hand and smiled. “Thank you, Bucky, for pulling Steve out of the Potomac and saving his life. The doctors told us that he would’ve died if he’d been found any later than he was, so thank you.”

Bucky blinked in surprise and his ears began to turn pink as he nodded. “You’re welcome.” He pulled his hand away as he looked between her and the super-soldier standing beside her. “Steve told me a little about you earlier, wouldn’t stop goin’ on and on about how great you were. Looks like he was right, though.” Steve’s arm wrapped around her shoulders while she bashfully ducked her head. “I’m glad you guys found each other.”

“I hate to interrupt the bonding but our window’s closing fast,” Sharon announced, holding up her burner phone when they all turned to her. “I need to get (Y/N) back before an agent shows up outside her hotel for our shift change.”

(Y/N) helped the three of them quickly load all the tactical gear into the Volkswagen’s trunk, the bittersweet feeling inside of her intensifying when Steve’s fingers brushed against her arm and Sam playfully elbowed her in the side. Once they finished, Steve closed the lid of the trunk and turned to Sharon with a grateful look on his face. “Looks like I owe you again.”

The agent merely shrugged. “It’s okay, I’m keeping a list.”

“They’re going to come looking for you…”

“Yeah, they are, but this was my choice, Rogers.” Despite the smile on her face, Sharon’s tone was firm and held no room for argument; for a fleeting moment, (Y/N) could see a hint of Peggy Carter in her steely gaze. “I’ll be perfectly fine on my own.”

Patting him on the shoulder, Sharon moved to stand by her car, giving (Y/N) some privacy while she said goodbye to the three men. Bucky offered her a small smile and a nod before walking back to the Volkswagen but Sam was quick to engulf her in one of his signature bear-hugs, his arms tightening around her while he murmured, “You take care of yourself while I’m gone, Booksmart, okay? Don’t get into any trouble without me.”

“Only if you stop calling me that.”

Sam laughed, pulling back so that he could see her and rolling his eyes at the playful exasperation on her face. “Aw, you know you love me and your nickname.”

“Of course I do, Birdbrain.” (Y/N)’s teasing smile fell the longer she stared into her best friend’s brown eyes and she ignored the foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach as she reluctantly stepped back from his embrace. “Be safe, Sam.” With a final smile, Sam turned and walked back to the Volkswagen; she chuckled to herself, hiding her amused smile behind her hand as Sam and Bucky argued with each other while cramming themselves back into the small car. “It seems like your best friend and my best friend don’t exactly get along, do they?”

“Not really, no, but I think they will; they’ve got a couple of things in common, after all.” (Y/N) turned to Steve and watched as his exasperated smile gradually fell and he surged forward, pulling her into his arms and holding her secure against his strong frame; she firmly wound her arms around his narrow waist and rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes as one of his hands held the back of her head and the other moved up and down her back. She tried her hardest to keep her voice even as she quietly mumbled, “Now I know how Rick felt at the end of Casablanca, except I’m sending the love of my life away in an old Volkswagen Bug with a bad paint job instead of a plane.”

Steve made a sound of agreement. “‘And I said I would never leave you…’”

While he quoted one of Ilsa’s final lines in the film, his arms tightened around her and she smiled to herself as she softly replied, “‘…And you never will.’”

“Baby, I…I don’t know when all this’ll be over or what’ll happen to us after we stop that doctor…”

“I know, sweetheart, and I’ll be waiting for you no matter what.” (Y/N) pulled back and met Steve’s tear-filled eyes. “Just go get that son of a bitch.”

The super-soldier gave her a watery smile as he nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He leaned down and kissed her one last time, his lips firm and passionate over hers before pulling away to quietly say, “I love you, (Y/N).”

“I love you too.” Her hands moved to cup his face and her thumbs wiped away the stray tears under his eyes while she put on a brave smile for him. “‘Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.’”

Pressing a final kiss to her forehead, Steve turned and hurried over to the Volkswagen, climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the car’s old engine; (Y/N) gave the three men inside a small wave, anxiously biting her lip as she watched the small car speed down the road and around a corner. Once they were out of sight, she lowered her hand and made her way back to Sharon’s car, where the agent was already seated in the driver’s seat and patiently waiting for her to climb inside.

“Okay, time to put your nano mask back on.” Sharon let her buckle up before handing over the flimsy mesh and once she was sure the disguise was secured in place, she started the car and began driving back to the hotel; the agent must’ve sensed the anxiety radiating off of her because not long into their drive, she reached over and switched on the car’s radio. “I read an article on you in The Guardian that mentioned that you’ve got a strong connection to music. Is that true?”

Despite the unease settling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Steve, Sam and Bucky going after the U.N. doctor, (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile at the agent’s inquiry. “Oh, you have no idea…”

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight

(Y/N) wasn’t sure which was worse, being held at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre under near-constant scrutiny by every single agent in the building or sitting alone in an upscale Berlin hotel room flicking aimlessly through German television channels. At least I didn’t have to watch speculative political reporting at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre to try getting information, she thought with an annoyed huff, flopping down onto the suite’s couch and staring at the ceiling as she vaguely listened to the correspondents arguing about the Sokovia Accords and tried not to worry about the four fugitives she’d spent the morning saying goodbye to.

Seeing Steve again and getting the opportunity to finally talk things through with him had made (Y/N) feel infinitely better; the week-long tension in her shoulders had finally begun to dissipate and her injuries even ached a little less. The newfound clarity made it easier for her to see that she’d made the right choice when she refused to sign the Accords, but a part of her still regretted the fact that the Avengers hadn’t been able to come to a unanimous decision.

“Staying together’s more important than how we stay together, hot-shot,” Natasha remarked, moving to sit beside her in the back of the Quinjet as they journeyed to Vienna. “We’ll all be fine as long as we stay together…”

“I wish that had been true, Nat,” (Y/N) sighed before getting up and collecting all of her dirty dishes; she neatly stacked them onto the room service cart before opening her suite’s door and rolling it out into the hallway. Just as she was about to close her door, she noticed a teenage boy slowly making his way down the hallway, clutching his side while his face tightened in pain with each step. Making sure that her suite’s key-card was in her pocket, (Y/N) closed her door and hurried over to the injured teen. “Are you okay, kid? What happened?”

The teenager’s eyes widened almost comically when he looked up at her and stammered out, “Holy crap, y-you’re Captain America’s fiancée…!”

“Where are your parents? Did you need to borrow my phone to call them or something?” She asked, her concern only growing as she ignored his awe and took in the dazed expression on his face. “Hey, you still with me, kid?”

He gave his head a small shake before nodding. “Yeah, yeah, I just…um, I tripped and fell down some stairs earlier. Mr. St-my parents, they already had me checked out by a doctor and sent me back to our hotel room to rest; I-I’m okay, Miss (Y/L/N), I’m just a little bruised.”

(Y/N) arched her brow at the teenager. “You’re sure that you’re okay?” He nodded again and she considered him for a moment before sighing. “All right, but will you at least let me help you to your hotel room?”

“Thank you, Miss (Y/L/N), that’s real nice of you.” The two of them began slowly making their way down the hallway. “My…my name’s Peter, by the way. Peter Parker.”

Giving the teenager a polite smile, (Y/N) replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Peter. Are you enjoying your trip to Germany?”

Peter shrugged. “It’s been fun, I guess. We got stuck at the airport for a while and then there was this really big guy that…” His face suddenly flushed red and he quickly glanced away from her. “Yeah, there was a weird guy. But other than that, Germany’s pretty cool.”

They soon reached his hotel room and while Peter fished his key-card out of his pocket, (Y/N) watched him with a mixture of concern and puzzlement; the only children she regularly interacted with were all under five years old, so she couldn’t be sure if Peter’s behavior was unusual or if he was acting the way teenagers normally act. Way to make me feel old, kid, she thought to herself, giving the teenager a smile once he unlocked the door. “If you or your parents need anything you know where to find me. Oh, and you know which number to call if you need medical attention, right?”

“…911?”

The teenager’s tentative question made (Y/N) sigh to herself, torn between amusement and exasperation as she shook her head. “It’s 112, Peter. I’ll see you later!”

“Bye, Miss (Y/L/N)!”

Making her way back to her own hotel suite, (Y/N) rolled her eyes and couldn’t stop herself from chuckling. “Way to make me feel both old and like a mom, kid.” She unlocked and opened her suite’s door, her mind already consumed with thoughts of a relaxing bubble bath and some music as she stepped inside, but her eyes landed on the man standing by the window and she yelped in surprise. “Geez, Tony, you almost gave me a heart attack! How’d you even get in-? Never mind, I forgot I was talking to a tech genius.”

The billionaire flashed her an apologetic smile but didn’t move from his spot, so she wearily walked over to him. “Hope you weren’t roaming the halls looking for an ice machine, Austen, they’re really only an American thing.”

“No, I was just…” Her words trailed off as she noticed that Tony’s left arm was in a sling and her heart instantly dropped. “What happened, Tony?”

Tony pulled his phone out and tapped on its screen, the holographic projection of a video appearing before them and playing; it was security footage from Leipzig-Halle Airport and it showed the Avengers brutally fighting one another. “We tracked Rogers, Wilson and Barnes to this airport and when we arrived to apprehend them, we discovered that we were pretty evenly matched; seems that Cap had the same idea we did and recruited some help.”

(Y/N)’s brow arched in surprise when she spotted Wanda and Clint fighting alongside Steve, Sam and Bucky; her brow rose even higher as her eyes followed two strangers amongst the familiar superheroes, one dressed in a red and blue-colored suit and one wearing an unusually-shaped silver helmet. Her confusion was soon replaced with worry as she watched Steve struggling to fend off T’Challa, who wore the vibranium-interwoven suit of the Black Panther, and her blood ran cold when she glanced up and caught the grave expression on the billionaire’s face. “Please tell me that no one’s…no one’s…”

“Dead? No, but thanks to Rogers and the others, Rhodey’s looking at some form of paralysis; I’m having him flown to Columbia University’s Medical Center tomorrow for some preliminary treatments, but it looks like he’s paralyzed from the waist down.”

Her jaw dropped in horror and her hand quickly moved to cover her mouth; she and Rhodes had never really gotten along but she knew that he didn’t deserve what happened to him. “Oh God…and everyone else? They’re okay, right?”

“We apprehended Wilson, Barton, Maximoff and their weird new friend in the shiny helmet but Rogers and Barnes got away in our Quinjet. Oh, and Romanoff’s on the run for going against the Accords and stopping T’Challa from apprehending them.” Tony stopped the security footage and tapped away on his phone while he talked. “You know, I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out who to blame for what happened. I’m obviously put most of the blame on Rogers for being an idiot and not surrendering when he had the chance but it’s pretty clear that he’s had help from others, Agent 13 being one of them; she stole their gear from the CIA’s lockup and went on the run before they could arrest her.”

“Really? She didn’t strike me as the type to change allegiances like that,” (Y/N) lied easily while her heart sank in her chest; Sharon made it clear that she knew what she was getting into, but that didn’t stop her from feeling a little guilty that the agent was on the run while she was resting in an upscale Berlin hotel suite. “Come to think of it, she did seem a little on-edge during her shift change with Agent Addams.”

Tony smirked and shook his head, his eyes still on his phone as he replied, “Fury must really hate the fact that he couldn’t convince you to switch careers, ‘cause that was some serious James Bond-level lying you just did. F.R.I.D.A.Y. checked out all the traffic cameras in the city and she spotted Agent 13’s car but couldn’t seem to run a facial recognition scan on her mystery passenger.” The hologram suddenly shifted to footage taken from a traffic camera and zoomed in on Sharon’s grey Audi; the agent was behind the wheel and a person with unusually-blurred features sat beside her and in an instant, (Y/N) spotted the familiar wrist brace poking out of the person’s jacket sleeve. “They look familiar to you, Austen?”

“Tony,” (Y/N) took a step forward as she struggled to keep calm. “All I did was tag along with Sharon to say goodbye to Steve and the others. I’d never want things to escalate the way they did and I certainly didn’t know that they’d recruit help, but they’re trying to stop something terrible from happening; that doctor from the U.N. framed Bucky to draw him out of hiding and find out where Hydra kept their five other Winter Soldiers so that he can take control of them. Bucky’s innocent, Tony, and Steve’s only trying to do the right thing.”

“I know.” She blinked in surprise and the billionaire projected a photograph of a dead body onto the hologram, followed by an image taken from a parking garage security camera that showed the grey-haired man standing beside a younger man. “Agent Ross and the Task Force sent this to me fifteen minutes ago. The dead guy’s name is Dr. Theo Broussard and the U.N. dispatched him from Geneva within an hour of Barnes’ capture; he was met by this guy when he landed in Berlin.” Another photograph appeared that showed the younger man dressed in tactical gear and carrying an assault rifle. “Colonel Helmut Zemo of Sokovia; before Sokovia was destroyed, he used to run a covert kill squad named Echo Skorpion. Broussard’s body was found in a hotel room across the city, along with a wig and prosthetics matching Barnes’ appearance.”

“Oh God…” (Y/N) breathed, unable to take her eyes off of the projection of Zemo. “They don’t know. Tony, they think that the doctor’s just a normal guy, they don’t know who he really is!”

Tony nodded. “Rogers and Barnes are severely outnumbered and with no idea what they’re getting into, which is why I need you to tell me where they’re going.” Sensing her hesitation, he exhaled through his nose and shut off the holographic projection. “I won’t lie and say I’m not pissed off at the both of you, but Cap needs some real help and you’re the only one who can tell me what I need to know. If you help me, I’ll even make sure Secretary Ross doesn’t find out about your Thelma and Louise moment with Agent 13.”

“Tony…” (Y/N) was interrupted by a knock on her suite’s door and when she went to open it, she was surprised to see Happy Hogan, Tony’s chauffeur and Head of Security at Stark Industries, standing in the doorway. “Happy?”

“Nice to see you again, Miss (Y/L/N). Is Tony still here?” He looked over her shoulder at Tony and held up a white plastic bag. “How’d you want Parker’s suit cleaned? I asked him but he was yammering about his video journal thing-”

“We’ve been over this like ten times, Happy, just switch on the self-cleaning function and leave it to do its own thing. I’ve gotta finish my conversation with Austen now, so why don’t you go order some room service and take a nice siesta? You’ve earned it, Hap!” Without waiting for a reply, Tony reached past (Y/N) and closed the door, meeting her narrowing eyes with a confused frown. “What?”

“I wasn’t looking for an ice machine earlier; I was helping an injured teenager get to his hotel room down the hallway. His name was Peter Parker, maybe you’ve heard of him?” Just as she suspected, Tony froze in place and she let out a mirthless laugh. “You’ve got some real nerve coming in here and lecturing me for aiding and abetting when you clearly broke the Accords yourself by bringing an un-signed enhanced to a fight! And on top of that, he’s only a damn teenager, Tony, what the hell were you thinking?!”

The billionaire’s jaw clenched in frustration. “Rogers was the one who escalated this, (Y/N)-”

“You both escalated this, Tony, but Steve had the sense to recruit people who can legally drink!” (Y/N) exclaimed before sighing heavily, her shoulders sagging as she leaned against the wall. “Look, it’s clear that we’ve both done things that wouldn’t be approved of under the Accords, but we also just want to do the right thing. Steve didn’t tell me where they were headed…” Biting her lip, (Y/N) considered the situation for a moment and silently weighed her options before continuing. “…but I know who might have some information.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How is it that every time I get tangled up in superhero business I always wind up in a damn helicopter, (Y/N) asked herself as she bent over in her seat and groaned, doing everything in her power to keep her nausea under control. Knowing that Sam would be reluctant to talk to him about Steve’s whereabouts, Tony insisted on dragging her along to the Raft, the maximum-security prison located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; not only were they traveling to the prison where Team Cap – as Tony had sarcastically begun calling them – was incarcerated in a helicopter, but they were flying right in the middle of a storm.

“Still not a fan of flying, huh?”

(Y/N) raised her head just high enough to shoot the billionaire across from her an exasperated glare. “Way too many bad experiences involving these death traps and in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re flying in the middle of a goddamn storm.”

“This is a Stark Industries helicopter, Austen, you’re safer inside this than you’d ever be in a commercial airplane.” A strong jolt of turbulence caused her to duck her head back down and clutch the armrest of her seat even tighter. “Yep, we’re totally safe in here.” Tony’s lighthearted tone shifted to one of concern as a hand moved to gently pat her on the back. “We’re almost there, (Y/N); maybe a little Sprite and some music will settle that stomach of yours?”

Taking a steadying breath, (Y/N) sat back up and accepted the bottle of Sprite with a nod of thanks just as an AC/DC song began playing in the foreground. She took a sip of the soda and smiled to herself, recalling how Thor had gone out of his way to find her a ‘carbonated beverage’ during their journey to Johannesburg to soothe her nervous stomach. I wonder what he’d think of the Accords if he were here, she silently pondered, watching Tony fiddle with the helicopter’s holographic controls. “Do you mind if I ask you a question, Tony?” The billionaire glanced away from the controls long enough to give her a small head-shake. “Was Pepper the only reason why you decided to sign the Accords? I’m not trying to start an argument or anything, really, I’m just…”

Tony nodded, reclining back in his seat with a sigh. “After what happened in Johannesburg and Sokovia last year, it was pretty clear that the Avengers were doing more bad than good and that’s not something I wanted on my conscious anymore.”

“I understand, guilt can be a very powerful thing.” She thought for a moment before reaching into her purse and pulling out her wallet, rifling through it while she talked. “But like Steve said, the Accords are only shifting blame, not holding people accountable. And as for the Avengers doing more bad than good…” She held a small photograph up for Tony to see. “This is Viktor, Monika and Izabela Oravec. I escorted Monika and Izabela onto one of the helicarrier’s boats and after Novi Grad was blown up, I helped them find Viktor among the Sokovian refugees. They’re living in Prague now; Viktor’s a museum curator, Monika’s an up-and-coming neurologist and Izabela wants to become an engineer when she grows up.” Giving the photograph of the family a smile, she carefully tucked it back into her wallet. “I just thought you’d like to know that some good came out of that day.”

Tony nodded again and they lapsed into a tense silence, with him fiddling with the hologram controls projected onto the window and (Y/N) sipping on her Sprite; with nothing to really distract her, she resumed worrying about what they’d encounter at the Raft. All the billionaire told her was that it was a top secret prison but his refusal to elaborate concerned her; a part of her dreaded seeing her friends in such an ominous place while another part of her understood that the only thing keeping her from joining them in prison was Tony Stark. It’ll all be okay, she reassured herself as she nervously shifted in her seat, Tony’s going to help Steve and Bucky stop Zemo’s plan and we’ll figure out the rest from there.

The helicopter soon began its descent and not long after, a man’s voice called out through the speakers. “This is Raft Prison Control. You’re cleared for landing, Mr. Stark.”

“What’re you going to tell Secretary Ross when he sees me with you?” (Y/N) asked, her eyes on Tony as she was unable to bring herself to watch their rocky landing. “You know, since I refused to do what he wanted me to and sign the damn Accords…”

“I’m gonna tell Ross a slight variation of the truth, that you’re here as a favor to me, to try and compel the Raft’s newest inmates to cough up information on Rogers’ location.” The helicopter landed on the helipad and Tony flashed her a brief smile. “All you’ve gotta do is be your usual charming self; you think you can do that, Austen?”

(Y/N) cracked a smile. “It’ll be my genuine pleasure.”

The helicopter’s door slid open and the two of them jumped down onto the helipad, walking side-by-side up to a displeased Secretary Ross. “So? You got the files? Let’s reroute the satellites, start facial scanning for this Zemo guy.”

Secretary Ross’s frown deepened. “You seriously think I’m gonna listen to you after that fiasco in Leipzig? You’re lucky you’re not in one of these cells.” He directed his attention to her and she stared right back, unfazed by the stern glare he was giving her. “Have you finally made the right decision to sign the Accords, Miss (Y/L/N)? If not, then I suggest you get right back inside that helicopter-”

“She’s here as a favor to me, Mr. Secretary; the others might be more willing to talk if they see that she’s cooperating with us.”

The Secretary of State’s eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of them and after a tense moment, he turned and led them through a steel security door to an operating room; soldiers holding assault rifles stood guard on either side of the door and just as (Y/N) was about to make a sarcastic comment, her eyes landed on a computer monitor and her heart dropped at what she saw. Wanda was sitting on the floor of a cramped cell, some sort of collar on her neck and her arms secured in a straitjacket, and she could clearly see the hollow look in the younger woman’s eyes. With a troubled expression on his face, Tony urged her forward and she complied, blinking away her tears as they followed Secretary Ross out of the operating room.

“I can’t figure out why I’m getting such strong ‘Young Adult Dystopian Novel’ vibes from this place; you think it’s the electromagnetic shock collars or the terrible uniforms?” (Y/N) muttered to Tony, making sure that the Secretary of State caught every word she said. “Kind of convenient that this prison was around just in time for the ratification of the Accords, isn’t it?”

The older man didn’t respond but the stiffness in his shoulders made it clear that she’d gotten under his skin with her verbal jabs. Once the two of them reached a closed door, he stepped back and waited for it to slide open before speaking, “You have five minutes.”

Tony nodded and with his free hand, he led her into a tall, circular chamber as the door slid shut behind them. It was lined with barred windows that led into cells and only three of them were occupied, but all of (Y/N)’s focus went to one in particular and before she knew it, she was hurrying over to her best friend’s cell. “Sam!”

Sam, who was seated at the edge of his bunk, jumped up and moved to stand in front of the bars. “(Y/N), what the hell are you doing here? You okay?”

“I should be the one asking you that, Birdbrain,” She feebly joked as she examined the nasty black eye and bruises that littered his face. “Tony, he-”

Her explanation was cut short by slow clapping and as she turned, Clint exclaimed from his cell, “The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what’s best for you, whether you like it or not.”

Tony cautiously approached the archer’s cell. “Give me a break, Barton, I had no idea they’d put you here, c’mon.”

“Yeah, well, you knew they’d put us somewhere, Tony.”

“Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. You know, this place is for maniacs, this is a place for-”

“Criminals?” (Y/N) watched as Clint stood and approached the bars of his cell window. “Criminals, Tony. Think that’s the word you’re looking for. Right? That didn’t used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are.”

The billionaire sighed in frustration. “Because you broke the law.” Clint backed away and began muttering to try and drown out Tony’s words. “I didn’t make you. You read it, you broke it. All right, you’re all grown up, you got a wife and kids; I don’t understand, why didn’t you think about them before you chose the wrong side?”

As Tony walked away, Clint turned and met (Y/N)’s eyes from across the chamber. “You gotta watch your back with this guy, (Y/L/N), there’s a chance he's gonna break it!”

“That was a little harsh…” (Y/N) winced, turning back to Sam and giving him a nod. “I saw a video of the fight at the airport; I’m sorry things turned out like that.”

“Yeah, me too.” Tony moved to stand beside her and Sam reluctantly looked over at him. “How’s Rhodes?”

“They’re flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow. So…fingers crossed. What do you need? They feed you yet?”

Sam’s brow rose as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re the good cop now?”

“I’m just the guy who needs to know where Steve went.”

That made him shake his head. “Well, you better go get a bad cop, ‘cause you’re gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me-”

“Sam-”

“Oh, I just knocked the ‘A’ out of their ‘A.V.,’” (Y/N) glanced down to see Tony subtly tapping on his smart watch. “We’ve got about thirty seconds before they realize it’s not their equipment.” Sam opened his mouth to reply but Tony shook his head. “Just look, because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes.” He pulled up a small holographic projection of Broussard’s dead body. “Clearly, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong.”

The corner of his mouth curved into an amused smirk. “That’s a first.”

“Cap’s definitely off the reservation but he’s about to need all the help he can get. We don’t know each other very well but you and (Y/N) do…”

(Y/N) nodded. “He’s telling the truth, Sam, Steve and Bucky are in danger. Zemo – the guy who impersonated the doctor – he used to run a Sokovian covert kill squad. Please, Sam.”

Her eyes pleaded with him to help and after a brief moment of hesitation, her best friend nodded. “Look, I’ll tell you, Tony, but you have to go alone and as a friend…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/N) and Tony were walking back to the helipad when Secretary Ross called out, “Stark? (Y/L/N)? Did he give you two anything on Rogers?”

She jumped up into the Stark Industries helicopter and gave him an innocent head-shake. “Nope, he told us to go to hell.”

“I’m taking Austen back to the Compound instead, but you can call me anytime.” Hanging off the side of the helicopter, Tony flashed the Secretary of State his trademark smirk and continued. “I’ll put you on hold, I like to watch the line blink.” They both sat in their seats and while the helicopter began its take-off, (Y/N) gave the irate man on the helipad a sarcastic wave; the helicopter flew off into the storm once again and when she looked over at Tony, she saw the glimmer of determination in his eyes and gave him an encouraging nod. He unfastened the sling supporting his left arm and rubbed his wrist as he gave her a smile. “F.R.I.D.A.Y.’ll make sure you get to the Compound safely, Austen. Tell Vision not to wait up for me.”

“Be careful out there, Tony.” She returned his smile and watched in awe as he pressed a button on the panel beside him and his Iron Man suit wrapped around his body; a hatch opened behind him and he flew out of helicopter and into the raging storm. (Y/N) couldn’t be sure if it was because she’d just seen her friends locked away in a secret maximum-security prison or because she was flying by herself in a pilot-less helicopter, but an unsettling and foreboding feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach.

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine

“Miss (Y/L/N)! Miss (Y/L/N), are you all right?”

Still doubled-over and with her hands planted firmly on her knees, (Y/N) glanced up at Vision as he hurried to her side on the helipad and smiled weakly. “I’m good, Viz, just a little dizzy after my helicopter ride from hell. Have I ever told you how much I truly hate helicopters?”

The android’s worried frown softened into a smile. “Perhaps on one or two occasions. Come on, let’s go in and I’ll prepare you a cup of tea.” He helped her straighten up and allowed her to hold onto his arm as he escorted her into the Avengers Facility.

(Y/N)’s solo helicopter trip back to New York had only taken a little over two hours but to her, it had felt like an eternity; all she could do was worry for the three men and pray that they’d reached Siberia in time to stop Zemo from waking the five Winter Soldiers. It’ll all be okay, she told herself for the hundredth time that day, they’ll send us a message when they’ve successfully finished their mission and captured Zemo.

The two of them made their way through the private living quarters to the common area in relative silence and once they entered the small kitchen, she leaned against the kitchen island while Vision prepared some tea for them. A melancholy smile played on her lips as she recalled the cheerful moments she’d shared with Steve, Sam and Natasha just before they’d been called away to Lagos, and she couldn’t help but marvel at how long ago that day felt to her.

“Miss (Y/L/N)?” Glancing up, (Y/N) watched the android pour tea into two mugs with a troubled frown on his face. “When you and Mr. Stark visited the Raft…how did Wanda seem?”

Her heart clenched in sympathy as she looked into his guilt-filled eyes. “Not too good, if I’m being honest. They’ve got her locked away in solitary confinement with some kind of shock collar and a straitjacket; she can’t use her powers even if she wanted to.” Accepting the mug of tea, she took a sip and carefully set it down on the countertop, her fingertips lightly tracing its rim while she sighed. “And the others aren’t doing much better. That prison…no one deserves to be locked away in a place like that, but especially not those four; they were only doing the right thing but because Secretary Ross and the Task Force didn’t want to listen, they’ve been labeled war criminals.”

“You believe that I was wrong to sign the Accords.”

(Y/N) looked up at Vision and pondered his matter-of-fact words for a moment. “I believe that your heart was in the right place when you chose to sign and that you only wanted peace; I won’t sit here and judge you for the decision you made because at the end of the day, we both wanted the Accords to work.”

Nodding, Vision stirred a teaspoon of honey into his tea and took a drink. “As the philosopher Georg Hegel once said, ‘Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights.’”

“Just when I thought my Philosophy 101 days were over…” She joked and the two of them shared a small smile. “Thank you for the tea, Viz, I’m already starting to feel a little better.”

The android acknowledged her words with another smile and they both enjoyed their tea in semi-comfortable silence, with (Y/N) trying and failing not to check her cell phone for any calls or messages from Steve and Tony and Vision doing the same on his nearby tablet. She’d just finished off the last of her tea when he suddenly spoke up. “Did Mr. Stark tell you how Colonel Rhodes came to be injured during the clash at the airport?”

“…He told me that it was an accident. You were with Wanda when Rhodes asked for air-assistance and you tried compromising Sam’s Falcon pack, but something went wrong and you hit the arc reactor on Rhodes’ suit instead.” She anxiously watched as Vision took their empty mugs over to the sink and began quietly washing them. “You know that Tony doesn’t blame you for what happened, right? And I’m sure that Rhodes doesn’t either…”

“Miss (Y/L/N), you’re an incredibly perceptive person who tends to view the world in ways that others may not; in your opinion, how is it possible for a machine to become distracted from its duty?”

(Y/N) frowned. “You’re not just a machine, Viz. You’re a mixture of a lot of different things: J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron, the Mind Stone, Tony, Bruce, Thor, vibranium…you’re a product of all of that, sure, but there’s also a part of you that’s completely separate and unique. I’m not a scientist so this isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse, but I’ve known you for a year and I can see that there’s humanity in you.” Glancing away from Vision, her eyes landed on the framed ‘Star Spangled Man’ record hanging on the wall across from her; the illustration of Steve, dressed in his old Captain America costume as he held his shield aloft and gave a jaunty salute, seemed to be staring right at her as she continued. “And for better or worse, experiencing emotions goes hand-in-hand with having humanity.”

She wanted nothing more than to tell the android that everything would be okay once they stopped Zemo’s plan and that he and Wanda would soon be reunited, but they both knew that things weren’t so simple. So, she simply reached over and rested her hand on his with the hope that it would bring him a little comfort; she felt him briefly tense up before relaxing under her touch and, much to her surprise, gently resting his free hand atop hers.

The peaceful moment was soon shattered by a chime emitting from Vision’s tablet and they both hurried to look at the screen. “It’s an incoming transmission from Siberia…but not from Mr. Stark.”

“It could still be them, Viz, Siberia’s where they followed Zemo to.” Her eyes pleaded with the android and after a brief moment’s hesitation, he nodded and accepted the transmission. The television in the common area suddenly switched on and began playing a video of a dimly-lit room. Exchanging looks of befuddlement, (Y/N) and Vision walked over to the television for a closer look; it was a live stream of a vast chamber lined with five glass capsules, and there was a cluster of computer equipment in its center. As (Y/N) and Vision watched, Steve, Tony and Bucky came into view with their weapons at the ready and her shoulders sagged in relief when she saw that all three of them were uninjured.

“If it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep.” The three men exchanged confused glances but she looked closer at the hazy glass capsules and spotted the bullet holes in each one of them. “Did you really think I wanted more of you?”

“Zemo killed the five Winter Soldiers,” (Y/N) breathed as she sat on the couch and her brow furrowed in confusion. “He didn’t want to wake them. What the hell…?”

A light flickered on to reveal Helmut Zemo standing inside of a control room and the three men raised their weapons. “I’m grateful to them, though. They brought you here.” Tony aimed a missile while Steve threw his shield at the control room’s door but it instantly bounced back to him, making the man inside smirk in amusement. “Please, Captain. The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets.”

“I’m betting I could beat that.”

Zemo nodded. “Oh, I’m sure you could, Mr. Stark, given time. But then you’d never know why you came.”

“You killed innocent people in Vienna…” Steve stepped closer to the control room’s door, the visible part of his face looking angrier than she’d ever seen him before. “Just to bring us here?”

“I’ve thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you, I followed you. But now that you’re standing here, I just realized…there’s a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw.”

(Y/N) felt Vision slowly sit on the couch beside her as he cautiously asked, “Why would Zemo choose to broadcast this to the Compound?”

“You’re Sokovian. Is that what this is about?”

“Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell.” Zemo shook his head, his dark eyes filled with vengeance as he continued. “No. I’m here because I made a promise.”

“You lost someone?”

The man’s jaw clenched in silent fury. “I lost everyone…and so will you.” One of the computer monitors in the chamber switched on, displaying a black screen with ‘16 Дekaбpя 1991’ printed in the middle. “An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again, but one that crumples from within? That’s dead…forever.” She could’ve been imaging it, but Zemo’s eyes flicked over to look directly into the camera that was live streaming and his thin smile made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Surveillance footage of a secluded road began to play on the monitor, and (Y/N) watched with a growing sense of dread as the three men cautiously approached it. “I know that road…” Tony’s voice suddenly became anxious as he looked over at Zemo. “What is this?”

The video continued to play and (Y/N) watched with her hands clasped tightly in her lap as a car crashed directly into a tree, her frown deepening when she spotted something blurry speed past the wreck. The driver of the car, a white-haired older man, fell out onto the ground just as a motorcycle pulled up to the scene.

“Help my wife…please, help…” The older man groaned in pain, struggling to get to his feet as the motorcycle rider walked up to him; the black-clad man suddenly grabbed him by the hair and yanked him into a sitting position, and a look of recognition crossed the older man’s bloody face. “Sergeant Barnes?”

(Y/N)’s blinked in disbelief; for a brief moment, she thought that she’d misheard the older man’s quiet words but she realized she hadn’t when she recognized the motorcycle rider’s metallic arm and the red star emblazoned on it. This must be one of the Winter Soldier’s past assassinations, she silently concluded, although the expression on the three men’s faces as they watched made her wonder if it was something more damning.

“Howard!” A woman’s distressed voice called out from inside the car. In that terrible moment, all the pieces fell into place and she was forced to cover her mouth to muffle her gasp; Bucky had murdered Tony’s parents during his time as the Winter Soldier and judging by the grief-stricken look on the billionaire’s face, he hadn’t known. She watched in horror as the Winter Soldier began pounding on Howard Stark’s face, swallowing down the bile creeping up her throat when the inventor’s dead body slumped to the floor. “Howard!” The Winter Soldier placed the body in the driver’s seat of the car before walking around the back of the car and reaching into the passenger seat; (Y/N)’s fingernails dug into her palms and her eyes began welling up with tears as she listened to the dying whimpers of Maria Stark, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the television screen. After what felt like an eternity, the Winter Soldier walked away from the car and towards the surveillance camera, his face expressionless as he aimed his gun and fired at the lens.

The three men stood motionless in front of the blank computer monitor, until Tony suddenly lunged towards a guilt-riddled Bucky and Steve quickly stopped him. “Tony, Tony!”

With tears glistening in his eyes, Tony turned towards Steve and asked, “Did you know?”

“I didn’t know it was him-”

“Don’t bullshit me, Rogers, did you know?”

The super-soldier remained silent for an agonizingly long moment, his azure eyes filling with tears as he replied, “Yes.”

(Y/N)’s eyes closed in anguish at her partner’s answer. It would seem that keeping the truth from the people he loved in an attempt to protect them was Steve’s fatal flaw, but purposefully keeping Tony in the dark about his parents’ tragic deaths was far more serious than secretly classifying three people as civilian consultants to keep them out of prison. For the first time in her life, she felt well and truly disappointed in Steve Rogers and the choices he’d made.

The sounds of fighting caused her eyes to fly open and she was met with the sight of the three men engaged in a fierce battle; Tony was slamming Bucky into the floor as Steve threw his shield at his back, distracting him long enough for the super-soldier to shove him back. Tony recovered quickly, shouldering Steve to the ground and firing a binder at his ankles, but Bucky was quick to sucker-punch the preoccupied billionaire. He was lifted and thrown against the chamber’s machinery, where he caught Tony’s fist and twisted it; Tony activated his missile and aimed it point-blank at Bucky’s head, but he shoved his hand away right before it fired. The missile flew through the chamber and exploded against the pipework, the fireball engulfing most of the machinery and causing the live stream to abruptly end.

“No, no, no! Dammit!” In utter panic, (Y/N) turned to Vision seated beside her and her brow furrowed as she watched the android snatch his tablet off the coffee table and place his hand atop the screen. “What’re you doing?”

“Tracing Zemo’s original transmission and using it to gain access to the Hydra facility’s surveillance cameras. The Mind Stone ensures that I excel at various forms of computer interactions, as evident in my altercation with Ultron, though it sometimes takes a moment or two…” Vision’s face tightened with effort, the strain of his task evident in the way he gritted his teeth. Too worried to stay seated, she jumped up and began pacing the floor with her arms crossed over her chest, trying not to think about what was happening inside that abandoned Hydra facility. This all might not be happening if I’d just insisted on going with Tony, she thought in dismay before scoffing at her own naiveté; Tony was seeking vengeance against the man who murdered his parents and there wasn’t a person alive who’d be able to talk him down from revenge, not even her. “I found them, Miss (Y/L/N)!”

Shaking herself out of her reverie, (Y/N) hurried to sit down beside an exhausted-looking Vision and look at the tablet resting on his lap. The three men were in a different section of the facility, in what looked like the bottom chamber of a silo that opened out into the snowy tundra of Siberia. Steve had Tony pinned against the wall and was beating him with both his fists and shield, his bruised face filled with blinding rage unlike anything she’d ever seen on him before; behind him, Bucky was sprawled on the ground, his face and hair covered in blood and his metallic arm missing. Suddenly, Tony caught the shield and flung it aside as he used his repulsor to blast Steve back; the super-soldier rose and the billionaire blocked his punch before hitting him it the face and blasting him with another repulsor beam, forcing him down to his knees in front of Bucky.

Steve was panting and blood was trickling out of his mouth as he looked up at Tony. “He’s my friend.”

“So was I.” Although Tony’s mask was covering his face, his pain was evident in his voice; he punched Steve hard in the face before flinging him back into a stone column, looking on as he toppled to the snow-covered ground. “Stay down. Final warning.”

Struggling to his feet, Steve swayed unsteadily as he raised his fists and retorted, “I can do this all day.”

The billionaire raised his hand in preparation to fire a repulsor beam but was distracted when Bucky suddenly grabbed his leg; he kicked the super-soldier in the face and in a flash, Steve was there lifting Tony over his head and slamming him down onto the ground. (Y/N) watched in fear as Steve got on top of him and began bashing him in the head over and over, her breath hitching in her throat as her partner grabbed his nearby shield and smashed it against the suit’s mask. It shattered to reveal Tony’s fearful expression, and both he and (Y/N) flinched when Steve raised his shield high and slammed it down onto the suit’s arc reactor. The power source’s light faded away and its glass fractured as both men breathed heavily, Steve’s eyes briefly closing before slumping back against a stone column and staggering to his feet; he gripped the edge of his clawed shield and pulled it free of Tony’s suit, limping towards Bucky while a bloody and beaten Tony slowly rolled onto his side.

“That shield doesn’t belong to you.” Tony called out as Steve helped Bucky to his feet and began guiding him away. “You don’t deserve it, my father made that shield!” Stopping in his tracks, Steve raised his chin and dropped the shield onto the ground before continuing on, and all Tony could do was stare after the pair.

(Y/N) finally looked up from the tablet screen, vaguely aware of Vision saying something beside her but she couldn’t focus on his words. All she could do was stare up at the framed Captain America record on the wall, the illustration’s self-assured smile contrasting with the look of unadulterated rage that she’d seen on Steve’s face as he fought his former friend.

“An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again, but one that crumples from within? That’s dead…forever.”

The Avengers had been irreparably fractured, just like the arc reactor of Tony’s suit, and Steve Rogers had walked away from the mantle of Captain America. And Zemo had done what no other person who’d gone up against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had done…he won.

Chapter Text

Chapter Ten

Two Weeks Later…

While she drove down the familiar streets of Washington, D.C., (Y/N) listened to her Beatles playlist playing faintly through her Volkswagen’s speakers and thought back on the last few weeks since Siberia. Zemo had been apprehended by T’Challa, who’d secretly followed Tony to the abandoned Hydra facility, and had been turned over to the custody of Agent Ross and the CIA. Rhodes had received treatment for his partial paralysis at Columbia University’s Medical Center and returned to the Avengers Facility less than two weeks later, where Tony had fitted his legs with exoskeletal frames to help him regain the ability to walk; despite his serious injury, Rhodes seemed to be in good spirits and had even given her a brief hug when she’d delivered him a bouquet of flowers and a fresh batch of ‘get well’ snicker doodles.

In the days following what had transpired in Siberia, (Y/N) began packing up her clothes and personal items with the intent of fully moving back to her and Sam’s old home in D.C.; while dating Steve, she’d split her time between D.C. and upstate New York but after their engagement, she began spending more time at the Avengers Facility. It was a tiring ordeal but Vision had been kind enough to help her, the android seemingly looking for anything that could distract him from the deafening silence that now filled the Compound. She did her best to stay out of Tony’s way while she packed, unsure of how he’d react if they crossed paths; according to Vision, the billionaire had been unusually reserved since returning from Siberia but as much as she wanted to comfort him, she didn’t think that he wanted to talk to someone as close to Steve as she was.

The only bright spot was that the publishing company decided to have Bring A Folding Chair printed under her real name; once the government officially declared Steve a war criminal and news of their broken engagement hit mainstream media, Mark finally relented to Greg’s pleas, believing that their publishing company didn’t stand to lose money now that she wasn’t publicly affiliated with the Avengers anymore. While (Y/N) appreciated everything Greg had done for her and was happy that her second published historical fiction novel would bear her real name, the victory felt small compared to all the heartache and loss she’d been through.

“‘Where courage resides, heartache lingers near.’” (Y/N) recited the Wakandan saying T’Challa had taught her under her breath, the words succeeding in bringing her a small bit of comfort. Stopping at a red light, she glanced over at the final box of belongings she’d just taken from the Avengers Facility and the small grocery bag resting on top before turning her attention back to the road, her fingers nervously drumming against the steering wheel while the light turned green and she continued driving. In no time, she’d pulled into the driveway and parked, gathering up her things before making her way to the backdoor; she rested the cardboard box against her hip as she unlocked the door and nudged it open with the heel of her ankle boot, entering the house and kicking the door closed behind her. “It’s just me, guys, the coast is clear!”

A moment later, Steve emerged from the hallway and gave her a small smile. “Hey there, sunshine.” He crossed the room in three steps and took the box from her tiring arms as he kissed her cheek. “How was the drive?”

“It was good, especially since I knew who was waiting for me when I got home,” (Y/N)’s smile widened as Sam, Clint and Scott filtered into the kitchen and she began unloading her grocery bag. “All right, you three, here’s some Band-Aids, Hydrogen Peroxide and Tylenol; I’m not exactly a nurse but this should be enough to treat all your injuries…”

“It’s perfect, Booksmart,” Sam patted her on the shoulder and grinned, wincing a little because of his split lip. “Nat and Wanda are hangin’ out in your room, Wanda’s been trying to get Nat to show her all of her injuries but Nat’s being stubborn as hell about it.”

(Y/N) nodded, grabbing some medical supplies before turning back to Steve. “You’ll be okay taking care of them while I help out Wanda and Nat?”

“Hey, I take offense to that, (Y/L/N)!” Clint interrupted, crossing his arms as his bruised face morphed into a look of playful outrage. “We’re three grown-ass men, we can take care of our own injuries. Isn’t that right, Lang?” They all looked over at Scott to see him leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms cushioning his head as his loud snores filled the room; the archer rolled his eyes in exasperation and let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah, never mind.”

As Steve started to treat his teammate’s multitude of injuries, (Y/N) turned and made her way to her bedroom as a memory from earlier that day played in her mind…

“Secretary Ross paid us a visit last evening,” Vision announced as he escorted her to her car. “Apparently, there was a security breach at the Raft and all four maximum-security prisoners escaped; he believes that their escape was aided by outside forces.”

(Y/N) raised a brow in surprise, outwardly calm but inwardly feeling anxious as she recalled how the five battered and beaten superheroes had shown up on her doorstep in the middle of the night. “Does he have any idea where they’ve gone?”

“The Quinjet that Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes stole was located in Estonia earlier this morning, so the Task Force is busy searching each major city in the country for the fugitives.” Giving her a sideways glance, the android continued talking with an overly-casual tone. “Secretary Ross also believes that they’ll be apprehended and back in the Raft by this time tomorrow.”

“As much as I hate that jackass, you have to give the man some credit for his boundless optimism…” (Y/N) quipped. Vision’s lips curled into a small smile, and neither of them brought the subject up again.

Planting one aircraft as a decoy while flying another back to the States behind the government’s back, (Y/N) thought with an amused chuckle, I wish I’d thought of that while I was writing For Queen and Country. She gently tapped on her bedroom door before opening it to reveal Wanda and Nat; the younger woman was lounging in her desk chair, her legs dangling over its armrest while she flicked through a large book on the mythologies of the world, while the spy was sitting cross-legged on her bed, examining a stack of records while one faintly played in the background.

“I never pegged you as a Don McLean fan, Nat,” (Y/N) remarked, setting the supplies on the bed before kicking off her shoes and hanging her sweater in the closet. “‘American Pie’ is such an intriguing song, isn’t it? Seriously, I could probably write a ten-page essay analyzing all the symbolism and hidden meanings in the lyrics.”

Natasha looked up from the records, her eyes full of fondness as she smiled and brushed a strand of short blonde hair behind her ear. “I bet you could, hot-shot. I haven’t listened to this song in a long time, but it’s nice to know that it still holds up.”

“Isn’t this song the one that Michael and Dwight sing in Season 4 Episode 14 of The Office? You know, the episode about the chair model Michael falls in love with?”

(Y/N) chuckled to herself as she nodded; she and Wanda initially bonded over the show and would watch it together whenever she visited the Compound, the younger woman eager to add another sitcom to her ever-growing collection and (Y/N) happy to oblige. “While dancing on the poor woman’s grave, to be exact; how Steve can dislike such an amazing show’s beyond me.” Wanda snorted in amusement while (Y/N) began rifling through the supplies she brought in. “Now c’mon, you two, let’s take a look at those injuries.”

The spy insisted that Wanda go first and (Y/N) relented, carefully dabbing aloe vera onto the younger woman’s neck where her restraining collar had chaffed her skin and treating a small cut on her forehead she’d sustained during their daring escape from the Raft; Wanda seemed to be in much better spirits now that she wasn’t locked away, but (Y/N) could tell by the look in her green eyes that she was missing a certain android. Once she finished tending to Wanda’s wounds, she suggested that the younger woman go check on the four men in the kitchen and make sure they weren’t making too much of a mess.

“So, are you going to tell me what you were up to these past two weeks?” (Y/N) asked as Natasha slowly removed her shirt, frowning in concern when she saw the bruises littering the spy’s chest and rib-cage. “Besides getting an awesome haircut and dye-job, of course. I’ve got to say, blonde looks pretty damn good on you.”

Huffing out a laugh, Natasha tossed her shirt aside and reached for the tube of IcyHot. “Such a flatterer, hot-shot. I’ll promise to tell you all the details someday, but let’s just say that…that I wiped a little red out of my ledger.”

(Y/N) nodded once, watching the spy begin to roll the ointment over her bruises and wince in pain; although Natasha had never really gone into detail about her past as a Black Widow, (Y/N) knew that she’d done things during that period of her life that still haunted her. Hearing that she’d worked to make things right and seeing the newfound look of peace on her face, she couldn’t help but feel proud for her friend and ashamed of the harsh words she’d recently hurled her way. She sat down on the edge of her bed and her fingers began tracing the stitching on her comforter as she timidly spoke, “I’m sorry for calling you a coward, Nat. You were only trying to keep the Avengers from falling apart and it was unfair of me to judge you for that.”

Natasha paused her work to rest a hand atop hers and give her a comforting smile. “It’s okay, I know that you didn’t mean it; you were shouldering so many burdens that week that it’s a little surprising you only had the one real breakdown. But you’re a strong one, (Y/N), I’ve known that since the day we met, when you insisted on helping us take down Hydra simply because it was the right thing to do. Everything that’s happened with the Accords and Siberia? Yeah, it’s gonna be tough to deal with but I know that you’ll get through it all even stronger than before.”

The two women shared a smile and after a moment, Natasha resumed her work and (Y/N) began neatly folding the uniforms and tactical gear that her two friends had draped over her dresser. When she got to a dark green vest, she hummed in approval and examined the garment with interest. “A new haircut, dye-job and a cool vest? You’ve really got it all, Nat…I mean, look at all the pockets this thing has!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once all their wounds had been thoroughly treated, (Y/N) cooked the exhausted superheroes some dinner and listened as they planned their next moves around the dinner table. Because of their obligations to their families, Clint and Scott had decided to turn themselves into the FBI; Natasha assured her that the pair would only be sentenced to house arrest but wouldn’t say how she knew that. Sam, Natasha and Wanda would also be leaving after dinner, claiming that they wanted to ensure that the two men safely reached the FBI’s Quantico headquarters.

Although she knew they were telling the truth, (Y/N) realized that they were also leaving to give her and Steve a little privacy to say their goodbyes. She appreciated her friends’ consideration, but she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about their impending goodbye; she and Steve hadn’t been truly alone since the night before Peggy’s funeral and so many painful things had transpired since then, namely the confrontation between Steve and Tony that she’d inadvertently seen. It was difficult to believe that the man playfully arguing with Sam over the last scoop of homemade mac and cheese was the same man who came dangerously close to killing one of his closest friends, and (Y/N) had to force herself not to recall the look of blinding rage that she’d seen on his face that day. That’s not who Steve Rogers is, she told herself before reaching under the table and taking hold of her partner’s hand; Steve looked over at her in surprise but interlaced their fingers together with a soft smile.

After dinner, (Y/N)’s guests insisted on clearing the table and doing the dishes for her before they left, crowding themselves into the small kitchen before she could say or do anything to stop them. She took it upon herself to unload the box of belongings she’d retrieved from the Avengers Facility and put everything away, shaking her head in exasperation as the superheroes bickered away in the background; when she lifted her framed ‘Star Spangled Man’ record out of the box, an envelope fluttered to the ground and after picking it up, she read who it was addressed to and almost immediately recognized Vision’s neat handwriting.

“So he did know, that little sneak…” She murmured under her breath, tucking the envelope into her pocket with a smile and making her way to the kitchen, where the five superheroes were gathering up their gear.

Natasha zipped up her green vest before going over and enveloping her in a hug. “Take care of yourself, hot-shot. It won’t be easy keeping in contact while on the run but I’ll try my best, okay?”

She nodded and they shared a smile of understanding; turning towards Wanda, she pulled the envelope out of her pocket and handed it to the younger woman, whose face instantly brightened when she recognized who it was from. At least something good came out of this mess, she thought while they shared a brief hug, knowing deep-down that despite being on opposite sides of the law, Wanda and Vision were going to be just fine. She’d been able to keep her emotions in check for the whole night, but when her eyes met Sam’s she couldn’t stop herself from tearing up; her best friend, looking equally emotional, crossed the room in long strides and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

“No matter how many times I’ve done it, saying goodbye to you never gets any easier,” (Y/N) remarked, blinking away her tears as she tightened her hold around him. “Promise me you’ll be careful out there, Sam.”

“Of course, (Y/N), I promise; I’ll make sure we’re all okay.” When he pulled back, he sniffed and flashed her a small smile. “I’m really gonna miss annoying the hell out of you, Booksmart.”

“And I’m really going to miss threatening your life every time you use that nickname, Birdbrain.”

They both chuckled and hugged one last time before returning to the others; Clint gave her a brief one-armed hug and Scott, who kept addressing Steve as ‘Captain America’ and who’d just begun calling her ‘Miss America’, shook her hand and thanked her for dinner. Once they were sure that the coast was clear, the five superheroes bid her a final goodbye and left through the backdoor, disappearing into the darkness and leaving (Y/N) and Steve entirely alone.

After taking a moment to lock the door, (Y/N) turned and frowned when she realized that she was standing by herself in the kitchen. Then, a slow and familiar melody began drifting down the hall from her bedroom and her frown morphed into a tender smile. She made her way to her bedroom, pausing only to switch off the kitchen and living room lights, and her smile widened at what she discovered; Steve was standing in the middle of her bedroom, his hands in his pockets and a loving gleam in his azure eyes as he glanced up from the record player to meet her gaze.

“‘These Arms of Mine’ by Otis Redding.” Steve explained as he took a step forward. “In one of the emails you sent me when we were pen pals, you mentioned that this song was one of the best to slow dance to. So…” The super-soldier held a hand out to her, a timid and vulnerable expression suddenly crossing his face. “Dance with me, sunshine?”

(Y/N)’s heart warmed and she nodded, placing her hand in his and allowing him to sweep her up into a dance; Steve’s cheek leaned against the side of her head and while one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her close, their intertwined hands rested against his chest as they swayed together in a circle. Her eyes closed and while they slow danced to the soulful song, she tried her hardest to savor their farewell; she breathed in the familiar smell of his sandalwood cologne, committed the feeling of being wrapped in his embrace to her memory, and took comfort in the sound of his strong heartbeat mingling with the low vibrations of his quiet humming. Neither of them spoke as they danced, since words would only shatter the dream-like illusion; all they needed was to be with one another, to cherish what little time they had left together before reality came crashing down on them in the morning.

The song eventually came to an end and as it slowly faded away, (Y/N) looked up at Steve and met his melancholy gaze; the hand resting on his shoulder trailed upwards, her fingertips brushing through his blonde hair as his eyes fluttered closed at her touch, and she stood on her tiptoes to capture his lips in a slow kiss. Steve’s lips were soft and sweet against hers, both his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her impossibly close while he kissed her back; the gentle caution soon morphed into passion, their kiss deepening as their hands desperately grasped at one another.

“Steve…” (Y/N) let out a breathless moan once Steve began leaving open-mouthed kisses along her jawline and down her neck, her fingers tangling in his hair as she suppressed another moan. “Steve, sweetheart, please…”

“What’s it you want, baby?” Steve’s lips were pink and swollen when he finally tore himself away from her collarbone to see her face, his expression nearly desperate as his eyes searched hers. “Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you, I’ll give you anything you want…”

At the super-soldier’s tender words, (Y/N) was forced to blink away her rapidly-forming tears as she cupped his face with her hands. “I only want you, Steve. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Then I’m yours,” He breathed as his eyes darkened with desire, surging forward to claim her lips with another passion-filled kiss while they blindly stumbled towards her bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, (Y/N) woke to the familiar sound of a graphite pencil scribbling across a sheet of paper; throughout the course of hers and Steve’s relationship, she’d grown used to waking up to see her partner sitting against the headboard and immersed in working on his sketches, since he was an earlier riser than she was and enjoyed sketching while she was nearby to provide inspiration.

“You know, it’s more fun being drawn like one of your French girls when I’m awake to see you blush,” (Y/N) mumbled into her pillow, her arms tightening around it as she smiled in amusement. “C’mon, Rogers, surely they had nude models in those art classes you took in the 40’s?”

“Yeah, but I joined the Army before our class started the life drawing unit.” She chuckled and a moment later, one of his warm hands brushed against her bare back before moving to caress her cheek. “Does my muse wanna see what I just finished?”

Stifling a tired yawn, she blinked open her eyes and rolled onto her side to face Steve, who was sitting up against the headboard with his sketchbook resting on his boxer-clad lap; he angled the sketchbook towards her and she smiled as she examined the finished drawing of her sleeping face. “It’s wonderful, sweetheart! If I ever need a new illustrator for my novels, then you’ve definitely got a shoe-in for the job.”

“Given our personal relationship, it might be a little unethical of me to accept that offer.”

(Y/N)’s smile turned mischievous as she sat up in bed, one hand still holding the sheet around her while the other moved to rest against the side of his neck. “Is there anything I could possibly do to change your mind, Mr. Rogers?”

“You tryin’ to seduce me, Miss (Y/L/N)?” Steve asked with a growing smile and brow arched in mock inquiry, his arm already moving to wrap around her bare waist.

“Well, that depends…is it working?”

Instead of answering, the super-soldier tossed his sketchbook onto the dresser and pulled her into his lap before soundly kissing her; before either of them had a chance to deepen the kiss, they were interrupted by the ring of Steve’s cell phone and he broke away to reach for it. His cheerful smile faltered as his eyes skimmed the new text message and as she watched him type out a response, a sense of sadness replaced her earlier contentment. “That was Sam…I’ve gotta go soon. We planned on leaving the country right as Clint and Scott turn themselves in.”

Nodding, (Y/N) slipped out of Steve’s lap and wrapped herself in a bathrobe before padding out to the kitchen, leaving him alone to get cleaned up and dressed. Her hands shook as she went about preparing a cup of tea and she mentally kicked herself, wanting to appear strong for Steve’s sake; it’s not like you’re never going to see him again, she told herself while taking a shaky breath, you…you just don’t know when. But even the knowledge that they’d meet again someday couldn’t quell the feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach; Steve’s departure felt as though it marked the end of an era and that nothing would ever be the same again, even if the Accords were somehow ratified and Tony eventually forgave him for what he did.

The cup of tea worked to calm her down and she’d just placed her dirty mug into the dishwasher when Steve entered the kitchen; he was wearing his standard uniform minus his helmet and shield – the two items that clearly identified him as Captain America – and she was a little surprised to see that he hadn’t bothered shaving. Steve, as if sensing her inner thoughts, gave her a half-shrug. “Nat suggested that a beard might help me keep a low profile.”

“I guess you can’t wear a baseball cap and sunglasses everywhere,” (Y/N) feebly joked, earning her a small smile from him. “That reminds me, will you be laying low in Wakanda from time to time?”

“Only occasionally, once the scientists figure out how to remove Hydra’s conditioning from Bucky’s mind and wake him from his cryostasis; I don’t wanna distract him from his recovery and visiting too often may cause T’Challa some trouble, now that Wakanda’s vowed to open its borders to the rest of the world.”

She nodded in understanding. “Well, when you do, be sure to tell Bucky that I said hello and thank T’Challa for everything he’s doing.” Steve promised that he’d pass along her messages, then he reached into the duffel bag he placed onto the kitchen counter and withdrew a severely-battered hardcover book before walking over and offering it to her; her brow furrowed in confusion and she glanced back up at him as she asked, “What’s this?”

“Open it.” She did as he said, gingerly opening the faded cover of the book to reveal its title page. ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum’ was printed at the top and written underneath in neat cursive was a single sentence: ‘Property of Steven G. Rogers.’ “A couple of months after Sokovia, Tony…he found some things of mine in his father’s archives; he figured that I should keep them instead of let them wind up in another museum exhibit. There were some old sketching journals, a few USO show posters, Ma’s wedding ring and that book. When I was a kid, Ma would read it to me whenever I got sick. She must’ve read through that book nearly a hundred times but it was the only thing besides the medicine that could make me feel better. And when I was accepted into Project Rebirth, I brought that book with me to basic training at Camp Lehigh and would read it when all the other recruits were asleep.” Looking up from the book, (Y/N) was taken aback by the sudden tears in his azure eyes. “That book gave me strength when I needed it most and comforted me when no one else was there to do it, and I want you to have it. I…well, I hope that it’ll do for you what it did for me all those years ago.”

(Y/N) carefully closed the book and held it against her chest as she smiled up at him. “I have something for you too.” Setting the fragile book down on the kitchen counter, she retrieved a thick scrapbook from the box of belongings she left in the living room and pressed it into Steve’s hands. “I finished it a couple of weeks after Lagos; I want you to take it with you, so that way it’ll be like I’m right there beside you and you won’t…you won’t feel alone.”

The super-soldier tucked the scrapbook into the duffel bag and zipped it closed before turning and pulling her into a tight hug that she instantly returned, her arms latching around his trim waist and face burrowing into his chest as unshed tears prickled in her eyes. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

She felt him press kisses against the top of her head before murmuring, “I’ll come back to you soon, (Y/N), I promise…whatever it takes.”

“No. No, not whatever it takes.” Pulling back, (Y/N) cupped his face with her hands and gave him an imploring look. “Please, sweetheart…promise me that you won’t let the circumstances change who you are. You’re a good man, Steve Rogers…promise me you’ll keep that intact.” Steve nodded and their lips met in a final goodbye kiss, full of sadness and tears but also hope, hope that one day they’d finally get to live a life of peace together. Their foreheads rested against one another as their kiss came to an end and before she knew it, he’d pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek, grabbed his duffel bag and walked out the backdoor. “Goodbye, sweetheart,” She whispered to herself, reaching for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and holding it against her chest for comfort as she stood alone in the kitchen.

When (Y/N) had said goodbye to her friends in that cemetery over two years ago, an old song from the 1940’s had played in her concussed mind. ‘We’ll Meet Again,’ one of the most famous recordings to come out of the World War II era, spoke to the uncertainty of the war and how going off to fight affected soldiers and their loved ones alike. When she’d thought of it back after the Battle at the Triskellion it had been in a tongue-and-cheek manner; she simply had a feeling deep-down that she and Steve were going to see each other again someday. But now, everything about the song felt hauntingly real to her and as she clutched the book he’d gifted her, she couldn’t help but hear the song’s poignant and relevant lyrics play out in her mind once again:

“We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again some sunny day…”