*A/N Story contains mild swearing but only as far as was included in the original movie script.

May 16, 2011.

Arianna Hart was currently doing some computer work for SHIELD. After another successful mission in Italy, the agent was taking a break and doing SHIELD a favor by working in the offices for once. It had become a sort of pattern- each member of Strike Team Delta had their own way of winding down after a grilling mission. If there wasn't an emergency, Clint took a break and disappeared off the grid, Natasha (although she rarely took breaks) would just train and do things like yoga, and Arianna worked at headquarters.

It had been a few days, and Arianna headed into the office room she shared with the other Strike Team Delta members, expecting another dull day of hacking into systems to check their security and spending most of her time chatting with Stark about the energy designs for part of his new Tower. So she was surprised when around 1pm, a message had beeped on her computer from Coulson: 'Captain found inside Valkyrie. Assistance requested.'

Arianna stared at the message for a moment longer, before she switched off her computer, leapt out of her seat and was out the door, stopping only to lock it firmly behind her. She ran all the way to Director Fury's office, arriving out of breath and wide-eyed. Fury raised an eyebrow at her but Coulson smiled when he saw her at the door.

"You called?" She said eagerly, and he laughed. Arianna had come to see Coulson as the father figure she was missing in her life, and so it was only natural that Coulson's obsession for Captain America was at least partially passed down to her. While she wasn't in love with the man as Coulson arguably was, she respected the war hero and treated the man's memory with admiration.

"Agent Hart," Dicrector Fury began, "you are here because Agent Coulson has specifically asked you to be here. We found the Valkyrie crash in the Arctic, and the good Captain frozen inside." "He's alive?" Arianna asked with no little surprise.

Fury nodded. "He was held preserved in a frozen state, and we have begun the extraction process to get him home." Arianna nodded as Fury continued: "Coulson's been placed in charge of the operation, and is heading out with the plane that will bring Captain Rogers back to New York. He's asked for you to be his second."

Arianna's eyes widened. "Second in command." She said, looking at Coulson blankly. The two men laughed at the girl's poorly hidden surprise. "Yes, we thought it should be alright. You've proven your worth despite age, and you have enough experience under your belt." Fury said with a hint of amusement.

Arianna nodded, smoothing out her expression for them, and the men grinned at her now-professional stance. Despite the fact that Arianna was now a deadly assassin and spy, to both men she would always still be, to a certain extent, the pure girl that Coulson had brought in, whose heart at the very least could never be corrupted.

"When do we leave, sir?" Arianna asked, and Fury answered: "An hour, so pack your bags quickly." Arianna's eyebrow shot up and she glanced at Coulson in disbelief, but turned back to Fury. "Yes, sir." She said, and Fury grinned at her. "Off you go, Arianna." He smirked and she nodded.

Coulson followed her out, and Arianna glanced at him. "Really? An hour? You don't hold back when it's your idol at stake." She teased and Coulson laughed. "It's because we need to get him to a medical facility immediately. After all, he has been frozen for seventy years." He said, trying to keep a straight face.

Arianna laughed at him, and he caved as well, their laughter echoing down the halls as she hurried to her office. Coulson left her to arrange the warm clothes for them, so she simply packed up some knives and a gun with extra cartridges, just in case. She grabbed the always-ready overnight bag each of the team kept in the office for emergencies on her way out, carefully locking the door behind her.

She wandered off towards the roof, heading for the quinjet that would take them to the good captain. The jet itself was a flurry of activity as the crew made it ready for the trip, but Arianna leaned against the jet as she waited impatiently for Coulson to appear.

He laughed as he came up, carrying a large file, seeing her tapping her foot restlessly as she leaned against the jet. "You're late." She complained and he shook his head in amusement. "No, you're early." He teased her, before he gestured for her to join him as he boarded.

"Sometimes, you can be just as childish as Clint." Arianna teased and Coulson laughed. He pointed out with a smile: "Says the real child!" Arianna wrinkled her nose and said, in a prim little girl's voice: "I'll have you know, I'm almost 22." She held up two fingers, like a child would do.

Coulson laughed and Arianna also cracked, joining his laughter as the pair settled into their seats. The jet took off minutes later and Arianna sat back, using the hours they had to read the files Coulson had brought on the Captain one more time. She lingered on the report on his last moment before his crash, and then looking over the quick report that had been sent earlier that day from the recon team that had found the Valkyrie.

Arianna's brow furrowed and her lips pursed just slightly. Coulson, who'd been watching her, nodded and said: "He's had it rough." Arianna lifted her eyes and stared at Coulson. His eyes softened to see the sympathy in her eyes as the young woman murmured: "Rough doesn't even cover it. And I don't even want to think what it will be like for him when he wakes up and finds the world moved on without him."

Coulson nodded, but the pilot called: "Landing in thirty minutes, sir." "Good man." Coulson replied and Arianna's face slid into a professional mask as she stood up, heading over to read the readings on the jet's charts. "It'll be cold out there." She commented, glancing at Coulson.

The man nodded again as he replied lightly: "So wrap up. Don't want to catch a cold." He grinned and she smiled, although their faces became grim as the jet got closer to the crash-site. Arianna peered out the windshield as they approached, and even from afar she could see the partially uncovered black wing of the jumbo jet sticking out of the snow.

It was silent as their jet landed, and the pair shared looks of mixed anticipation and urgency as the jet door opened. The blast of cold air hit Arianna with a sharp smack, but she ignored it as she trudged out, following Coulson to the Valkyrie. The doors slid open for them as they approached, and the pair quickly walked inside.

Arianna shook the snow and ice off her head as the doors slid shut behind them. She turned to find it was Agent Wade waiting for them by the door controls and she sent a nod in greeting. Wade returned the nod as he said: "Sir, we've got him in the cockpit; we didn't have the equipment to defrost him but we've been monitoring him, as you ordered."

Coulson nodded and said firmly: "Good work, agent. We've brought a medical team, ready to receive as soon as we can move him." Ward nodded as he replied: "We can move him now- I had my team move him onto a stretcher when we first heard you would be coming."

"Alright, then. Let's get moving." Coulson ordered and Ward began to talk into his com as he led the way towards the cockpit. Arianna looked around the massive plane with interest, noting the several Hydra symbols painted along the way. As Ward stepped into the cockpit, Arianna stopped, staying by the door to observe.

The room was a flurry of activity with several agents standing beside monitors and screens to check the Captain kept stable; others had clearly been working on dismantling the jet's control system and looking for Hydra information. At the moment, however, they were all moving around the stretcher in the center of the room, getting ready to move the Captain.

She watched as the team finished preparations, attaching monitors to the stretcher to maintain constant supervision on the man's vitals. "Lock and load. Let's move out." Coulson ordered, and the team began to push the stretcher out of the jet. Arianna went ahead, ordering for a cover to be brought. She stopped by the jet doors, ready to open them.

As the team arrived, an agent appeared with the cover she'd requested, and Arianna tossed it to Ward. "Cover him." She ordered and Ward understood, quickly covering the man's exposed upper body. Arianna looked over at Coulson who gave her the thumbs up. She nodded and opened the door as the other agents pulled their coats closer, tightening it against the cold.

As soon as the doors opened, the team moved the Captain out into the freezing arctic air and Arianna called into her com: "Open the quinjet!" The doors slid open and the team moved the Captain inside where the medical team received him and began to work over him immediately.

Arianna headed back to the quinjet as the other agents returned to the Valkyrie to finish their own jobs. She nodded at Ward as she passed him and he nodded back, neither willing to pause even to speak in the freezing air. As soon as Arianna was back on board, Coulson ordered the doors shut and they took off.

Arianna took a careful step inside while Coulson stayed by the door to watch the medical team as they worked on the Captain, checking his vitals and beginning to defrost him. She leaned to the side, careful to stay out of the way, but close enough that she could get a clearer view of the man frozen in ice.

She could barely make him out through the thick ice covering his body, but the ice was thinner at the top, on his upper body. She examined the blond hair and the man's strong features. From what she could make out, the reports hadn't been lying when they said he was handsome- his features could've put a Greek god to shame (although perhaps not a Norse god).

But what drew her was the man's classic hairstyle, swept carefully to the side. It spoke of another era, an era that was now long past. "He's going to be in for a shock when he wakes up." Arianna murmured as she stepped back, placing herself beside Phil once more.

The man nodded, knowing what it was the woman had been looking at. "At least he'll find we won the war in the end." Phil replied lightly, and Arianna just nodded absently as she pointed out softly: "But he won't be able to make up what was lost."

Phil paused at that, but he didn't make any response. The rest of the flight back was spent in silence, and the two parted with brief nods once they landed back in New York, their jobs complete.

It was now up to the medical team to ensure the Captain's safe recovery, so Arianna left for her apartment, never dreaming that their next encounter would mark the biggest turning point in her life.

April 29, 2012

"Shoot me now." Arianna muttered as she walked down the hall, and Clint chuckled. "Unfortunately, I'd probably end up shooting myself first." He teased and she laughed, although it ended in an impatient sigh. The pair had been on this security detail for what felt, to both of them, like forever.

In reality, it had only been a few months since they'd started this stint in New Mexico, but both were equally tired of the job. Neither cared much for protection work, and watching over a cube was probably the last thing either of them had ever expected to be doing for the better part of half a year.

The only thing that stopped either of them from cutting each other's throats in mutual agreement to escape this torture was Phil. He was the one leading the mission, and truth be told if he wasn't neither of them would still be here. Well, Clint wouldn't; Arianna didn't have as much flexibility.

As one of the few agents also gifted in the sciences, Arianna had been specifically called in to both help with the research on the Tesseract, and the security work in keeping the cube's identity and position a secret. While she would admit that researching the cube was fascinating, the hours she put in on security work almost didn't make it worth it to study the mysterious cube.

Arianna sighed as they entered the warehouse and she spotted Dr. Selvig and his team as they examined the Tesseract readings. She and Clint drifted wordlessly, their faces becoming blank as they slipped into their security roles.

Clint moved towards higher ground and settling in by the railings near the ventilation pipes, about a hundred feet off the ground. Arianna did the exact opposite as she moved closer to the cube, although she too maintained some distance from all the activity as she settled into a spot on the railings right above the scientists heads.

It was their natural instincts: 'Hawkeye' saw better from afar where he built what people often joked of was his nest, while 'Aria' removed herself and worked alone, keeping close enough to be able to react quickly but away from the general crowd.

Usually, when Nat joined them, she was more of the hands-on type. It completed the trio, and was probably one of the reasons STRIKE team DELTA were considered one of the most lethal teams in SHIELD. It was more than the fact that each member was the best combat agent in their field; they moved as one seamless unit, not one flaw in their system.

The day passes as slowly as any other and Arianna almost cried for joy when it was time for her break. She grinned as Clint sent her a grimace, before both agents' faces slid back into impassive indifference as Arianna headed to the cafeteria and Clint returned his attention to the cube. Arianna hummed a little as she headed off for food and rest, looking forward to the next two hours where she could have some peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, life had other plans. Her dinner was interrupted as the alarm went off and the announcement rang over the entire compound: "All personnel proceed to your designated vehicles. This is not a drill. Repeat…"

Arianna groaned internally but quickly jumped up, heading back towards the warehouse quickly. As agents began to spill out, hurrying to move into evacuation, Arianna slipped back inside. "Dr. Selvig." She greeted as she walked up and he glanced at her, nodding.

"What seems to be the problem, sir?" She asked and he explained: "Spontaneous advancement. The Tesseract won't shut down, so Agent Coulson's ordered an evac just in case." Arianna nodded, agreeing with the decision although it was grim. The evac would take at least an hour and if Selvig couldn't control the Tesseract's movements, the whole thing could blow up in their faces.

She glanced up at Clint, exchanging glances, before she turned to help the other scientists proceed with the evac. Clint had the situation under what control they could, and since she was technically on break her duty was to escort the staff out safely.

So, for the next half-hour Arianna moved quickly to have the staff cleared out of the warehouse and into their designated emergency vehicles. By that point, only Dr. Selvig and two other agents were left, but they couldn't move until the Director arrived and checked the situation himself. Arianna returned to her guard duty, her first priority now completed, and had been there for maybe five minutes when Director Fury called over the comms: "Hart."

"Director." She answered immediately, and he ordered curtly: "I want you down in the basement garage and helping Hill. She's moving out some highly sensitive equipment and I want someone else there overseeing the detail." "Yes, sir." Arianna replied firmly and he cut the connection.

She glanced up at Clint again, signaling her movement. He nodded once to show he'd seen, and Arianna slipped back out of the warehouse. She weaved her way past the few people still left in the facility, making their way hurriedly out, heading down to the garage.

She spotted Hill immediately as the woman stood overseeing some agents as they moved carts full of crates. Hill spotted the younger agent, too and nodded in brief greeting. "Hart." She said with just the slightest warmth in her tone. Arianna nodded back as she replied just as curtly: "Hill."

Arianna stopped beside the older woman, watching carefully for signs of tampering as the crates were brought out of the storage warehouse and loaded into the vans. Her brows furrowed just the tiniest bit. She hadn't known about anything being kept down there that was important enough that Maria herself had to oversee its removal. Arianna said conversationally: "Is the Director with the cube?"

"Yes, he is." Maria replied lightly, and Arianna nodded at the crates. "I assume I'm not supposed to know what's in those." She commented, teasing, and Maria answered with just the smallest bit of amusement in her voice: "No, you're not."

Lily's lip tugged into a small smile, but it dropped immediately as the building shook above their heads. She glanced up concernedly, but continued to watch the movements in the garage while Maria stared at the ceiling apprehensively.

"He'll be fine." Arianna said emotionlessly and Maria turned back to the activity below as she said indifferently: "I know he will." Arianna suppressed a chuckle. She wasn't sure she'd ever really get used to having to pretend to not care or worry about their fellow comrades. It was fine between teams but it would be unwise to show any emotion when around others, such as the agents working below them right now.

That's the problem with an organization of spies. Arianna thought wryly as she kept a watchful eye on the crates as they were handled. You never really know who you can trust. She was broken from her thoughts as she heard footsteps from behind them. She glanced back and hid her surprise as Clint walked out carrying a briefcase.

He was followed by Dr. Selvig, Agent Smith- the head of security- and a strange man. Maria also watched in confusion as Clint pointed to the waiting emergency vans and said shortly: "Need these vehicles." He handed the case to Dr. Selvig as the older man climbed into the van and the stranger climbed into the back of once of the trucks.

"Who's that?" Maria asked puzzled as she stared at the man, which made Arianna's brow furrow in confusion. If Maria didn't know who that was… "He didn't tell me." Clint replied flatly as he walked around the car towards the driver's side. That made Arianna's brows furrow- he didn't sound like himself at all.

She stayed, watching them while Maria, although still suspicious, turned away. Suddenly, her walkie-talkie beeped and a crackly voice called: "Hill! Do you copy?" Arianna tensed as Maria gripped her comm, and Fury called warningly: "Barton is…"

Arianna jumped forward as Maria ducked when Clint swiftly turned and fired his gun at them. Arianna rolled at him, kicking his legs as Maria rolled for cover, but Clint simply leapt back. Arianna ducked quickly behind a pillar, pulling her own gun out as Clint fired at her.

She fired two shots as she ducked for cover, and heard Agent Smith cry out as he was hit. But there was no cry from Clint, and she heard him clamber into the car. She quickly ran out as the car sped away, jumping onto a motorcycle as Maria opened fire on the escaping vehicle.

Fury called to both Maria and Arianna sharply: "He's got the Tesseract! Track it down!" Arianna took off on the bike while Maria ran for another van. Arianna sped after the escaping car as it swerved around the other evacuating agents' cars.

Luckily, or rather not, the other agents caught on to the fact that something was wrong and began to open fire on Clint's car. The stranger in the back of the van shot something from a staff at one of the cars firing at him, causing it to swerve before it tipped, crashing in front of the other cars and blocking part of the tunnel.

Arianna swiftly drove her bike through the gaps, gaining on the car as she pulled out her gun and began to fire at the car. She hit the side and rear-view mirrors with her accurate shots, but as SHIELD vans, the wheels weren't easy to shoot out. She tried firing four consecutive shots at one of the back wheels, but the stranger seemed to know what she was trying to do and somehow blocked the shots with his strange staff.

The Tesseract. Arianna realized. That person came through from it, meaning he's not of this world. She grit her teeth as she tried gaining on the car, but as she did, Clint swerved and she was forced to pull back a little before the car rammed into her. Suddenly another jeep sped past and Arianna spotted Maria as she pulled the handbrake, forcing the jeep to turn in a tight circle so that she rammed against Clint's car from the front.

She fired directly at Clint as he fired back and Arianna pointed her gun form behind, aiming steadily. She fired, hitting Clint's hand and he was forced to drop the gun and retracted his wounded hand. Her moment's triumph was broken as he retaliated by speeding the car and ramming Maria into the side of the tunnel.

Arianna sped past as Maria quickly regained control, coming up behind the younger girl, who continued to fire at the car. The stranger threw an energy blast at her from his staff, but she was quick in dodging it, despite the small space. Unfortunately, she knew they had another problem- the self-destruct mechanism. It would blow up the facility and drop the ceiling on them if they didn't hurry.

Of course, as soon as she thought that, the place exploded. Arianna was forced to sheath her gun as she sped up, knowing that on her bike if she was caught in the debris she would stand no chance at survival. Maria was behind her as the ceiling began to cave behind them. She didn't dare glance behind her but her heart clenched as she heard the distinct sound of screeching tires, indicating that Maria was caught.

Luckily, the debris stopped at that moment too, so hopefully the older agent was alive. Arianna didn't spare more than that thought as she sped after Clint, pulling out her gun again as she fired. The stranger threw more energy blasts at her, but she was able to dodge them with her bike. And then from above, Fury's helicopter appeared, chasing down the car from the air.

It blocked the road, and Arianna saw Clint swerve sharply, moving to the dirt to get around the helicopter. Fury opened the side door and began to fire at the car from the front as Arianna kept up fire from the back. The stranger threw another blast at her, and this time she didn't avoid it in time. Arianna jumped from the bike, tumbling over the ground as the blast hit the bike and it exploded.

The stranger then threw an energy blast at the helicopter, hitting it directly in the side. Arianna ducked quickly as the whirring blades almost took her head off as it came crashing down, and then glanced up to see Fury land heavily on the ground a few feet away. He fired after the retreating car in frustration, but it was too far now, and he gave up pretty quickly as Arianna staggered up to him.

He glanced back at the younger agent as his walkie-talkie crackled and Phil's voice came over urgently: "Director? Director Fury, do you copy?" He answered swiftly: "The Tesseract is with the hostile force. I have men down, but Aria's here safe with me. Hill?"

He checked and Arianna breathed in relief as Maria replied: "A lot of men still under, don't know how many survivors." The Director glanced at Arianna before he ordered grimly: "Sound the general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that brief case."

He kept his eye leveled on Arianna, indicating she was included in that order, and she nodded once in understanding as Maria replied: "Roger that." Fury then ordered: "Coulson, come pick up Aria and get back to base. This is a level seven. As of right now, we are at war."

Arianna's fists curled and she bowed her head, and there was a beat before Phil replied firmly: "What do we do?"