Disclaimer: I own nothing Captain America-related…though I might consider asking Marvel to loan him and the rest of the Avengers to me for a while. Until then, only original characters are mine.

AN: Here's the next chapter! Please enjoy, and please don't forget to review. Thank you.

Chapter 4: Hitting the Fan:

I knew that something was in the air as we headed home from our night out, and it wasn't due to our neighbor Richie telling us we'd left our stereo on, either.

As bumpy as the night had started, it had ended on a fairly good note. During our walk back to our apartment, Steve had produced a beautiful bracelet that he had purchased for me to celebrate one of our anniversaries. It had fit perfectly, and under the night sky, the two of us had shared a warm kiss beside a flowing fountain.

Then we'd gotten inside the building and headed up to our floor. Richie was heading out, dressed in his scrubs with a basket of laundry in his hands. "Hey, Adena," he greeted me with a smile. "Um, did you guys know you left your stereo on? You really should turn off your electronics before you leave."

Steve and I both went on alert as I made sure to put a bright smile on for our neighbor's benefit. "Thanks, Richie. We'll go take care of that now. Gotta watch that carbon footprint, right?"

He chuckled and waved goodbye as he headed down to the laundry room in the basement.

Giving me a pointed look, Steve slowly opened the door and stepped inside first, ready to stand between whatever was in the apartment and me. I slowly and quietly walked behind him, watching him in the dim light as he retrieved his shield from where it stood in its usual spot in a large section of shelving.

Meanwhile, I closed the door behind me and reached inside my purse, quickly locating the small taser that Natasha had given me (a 'housewarming gift' when Steve and I had first arrived in D.C.). There was a can of pepper spray as well, and a pull-out baton, but I wanted to save those, just in case.

I held my breath as Steve peeked around a corner and froze. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, reaching for the light switch before drawing his hand back, keeping the room dark.

"My wife threw me out," replied a familiar voice replied, his tone low. "I thought you could put me up for a few days."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Nick," Steve said, looking over his shoulder at me.

As soon as he said our "guest's" name, I looked around my husband to see for myself who it was. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw Fury's lone eye gazing at me in the dim light coming in from the window. After putting the taser back in my purse, I saw that he was bleeding from numerous cuts that littered his body, and there were several large bruises around his face and neck. He looked like he'd been through hell to try and get here.

When he saw me, he nodded a silent greeting before showing me a message tapped into his phone.

No names, the text said. Ears everywhere.

I inhaled sharply. Ears were everywhere? Was our apartment bugged? No, JT would have picked up on that –Tony himself had included that in his latest upgrade of my little computer.

Fury began to tap on his phone again. The message he showed us was chilling: SHIELD compromised.

The agency was compromised? 'Oh, God, what are we going to do if agents inside SHIELD have been corrupted?' I felt the fear rising up inside of me as I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

"Steve!" I cried, just before three shots rang out.

Immediately, I was pushed behind a corner, Steve putting himself between me and the assassin outside. I heard something heavy hit the ground, and knew it had to be Fury. Whether he was alive or not was something I wanted to check, but didn't dare, not if our assailant was still out there.

"He's gone," Steve said a moment later, stepping up to the window, shield raised as he looked out. "Adena, check Fury."

I felt as though my heart were in two places: in my chest, beating like crazy, and in my throat. Swallowing hard, I steeled myself and looked cautiously around the corner. There he was, face down on the floor, with three holes in his back, matching the ones punched through the other wall. And he was bleeding.

Looking around, I found the stack of ugly pea-green-and-brown cloth napkins that Tony had sent us as a gag gift for our housewarming. Steve and I had never used them, and intended to toss them out after getting them. Lucky for the Director, we hadn't.

I quickly began applying the cloth to Fury's wounds, trying to stop the bleeding as best I could. The smell of blood made me gag for a moment, but I pushed that aside as I tried to help.

"Adena," Fury whispered, catching me by surprise. I'd thought he'd be unconscious at this point.

Rolling onto his side, one of his hands took mine while the other offered me something that flashed silver in the moonlight. I took the offered object, and saw it was a flash drive. "Trust no one," Fury whispered as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Heart pounding, I put the drive into a pocket inside my jacket and zipped it up, keeping it safe and secure. That done, I tried once more to focus on the task at hand: saving Fury.

The sound of the front door being kicked in caused me to turn. In the doorway was Richie, a gun in his hand and a cool, determined look on his face. "Captain Rogers? Mrs. Rogers?" he said, looking around carefully until he saw me on the floor. "Damn it."

Rushing to kneel beside me, Richie gently pushed me aside as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. "This is Agent Cooper. Foxtrot is down! I repeat: Foxtrot is down! Send backup and medics ASAP!"

"Agent Cooper?" Steve asked, clearly surprised and furious. "Who sent you to spy on us?"

Just when I thought I'd used up all my surprise for the day, Richie nodded to Fury's unconscious body. "He did. Now, go get the bastard who did this. We'll try and help Fury."

Steve clearly didn't want to go, but I gave him a pleading look. "Go," I said. "We'll be okay."

He gave a nod before racing out the door.

I don't know how long I sat in silence with Richie before a group of SHIELD agents showed up. Several were medical people who pushed me aside so that they could get to Fury. Seeing that he was no help, Richie gently reached out and pulled me aside. Luckily, my jacket was black leather, so the dried blood on his hands wouldn't show much on the material.

"Adena, we need to wash up," he said, looking at my hands. "You go to the kitchen. I'll use the bathroom, and then I'll take care of everything here."

Nodding, I obediently went to the kitchen and scrubbed my hands raw, getting every trace of Fury's blood off of them. When I finished, I lathered on some fragrant lotion, to get the smell out of my nose. I then carefully looked over my clothes, and saw that there was no sign of blood anywhere else. Thank god for small things.

A pair of large hands came to rest on my shoulders. "Adena," Richie whispered. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" I shook my head. "Good. I need you to come with me to the SHIELD medical facility that they're taking Fury to. I can better protect you there."

I swallowed hard and tried hard not to cry. I'd never seen anyone get shot before. Richie clearly saw that I was upset, and he quickly poured me a cup of water, which he pressed into my hands. "Here; drink this. It'll make you feel a bit more human again."

I rather doubted that, but did as he asked. The water was cool and soothing, clearing my head and settling gently in my belly. 'He's right. It does help.'

"Where's Steve?" I asked. "I won't leave without him."

By now, the room held three other agents, the others having left with Fury as his medical or protection detail. The remaining agents quietly conversed with each other, clearly trying to decide on what to do next. Richie decided to save them the trouble.

"We'll wait for Captain Rogers to return before heading to the medical facility," Richie said, giving them a firm look. From the way they deferred to him, Richie was clearly the senior agent.

"So," I whispered, "You're a SHIELD agent. Why did Fury send you to keep an eye on us?"

He gave me his usual friendly smile, the same one he had given me every time we'd bumped into each other in the hallway. "It was mostly for your benefit, actually. Fury was worried something might happen to you while Captain Rogers was away, so he sent me to keep you safe."

The smile became a grin. "He also thought that Captain Rogers could use a bit of protecting as well, but from what I've seen, I rather doubt it."

I managed a weak smile. "Yeah, Steve is pretty great."

A sound from the hall caused the other agents to draw their weapons as Richie took a step in front of me, a position I was used to seeing Steve take, but didn't like seeing another man shift into.

"Adena?" Steve's voice called from the hall. "Adena, are you there?"

Sighing in relief, I set my empty glass aside and ran to my husband's strong, comforting arms. "Did you get him?" I whispered into his ear.

He shook his head. "He got away. How's Fury?"

"I need to take the both of you to the facility where they'll be treating him," Richie declared. "Come with me."

Steve had never liked Richie, and he liked him even less now that he knew what the man's purpose was. Fury had sent the man to watch over him and Adena, and that did not make Steve very happy. It was as though Fury hadn't thought him capable of protecting his own wife, and he found that insulting.

But then, he hadn't protected her very well tonight, had he? She'd almost gotten shot and killed by that masked assassin, and then he'd left her alone with a single agent while Steve had madly pursued that same assassin to a building rooftop. Worse, the assassin had proved himself a worthy opponent, thanks in part to the metal arm that had so adeptly caught Steve's shield –a feat that few, if any, had accomplished in the past. And when he had flung that same shield back at him, Steve knew that this particular assassin was going to cause a lot more trouble in the near future.

Gathering himself back together, Steve had headed back to the apartment, relieved that Adena was still there and waiting for him. She'd thrown herself into his arms, a move that he heartily welcomed. It was good to know that she needed him as much as he needed her right now.

Their reunion had been cut short when Agent Cooper had informed them of their need to get to Fury, to see if the head of SHIELD could recover from his wounds. Steve hadn't liked it, but it would get Adena out of their trashed, blood-stained apartment for a while. Hopefully, he'd be able to sneak back and put a few things in order before he brought her home.

To his annoyance, Agent Cooper seemed to be on the same line of thought. "We'll have a few agents stay behind and right the place, after they've collected whatever evidence they can. It should be back to normal when you return."

Steve had wanted to protest, but decided to stay quiet. There were more important things to worry about than the state of the apartment.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Steve sat with his arms around Adena's waist while her head rested on his shoulder. He could sense her worry and her fear, and immediately hugged her close as Agent Cooper looked out the window, eyes everywhere as their driver dodged through traffic.

They reached the facility in good time, and arrived just as the doctors were beginning their operation on Fury's unconscious form. Natasha stood at the observation window, along with Agent Maria Hill. Steve didn't know much about Hill, but Natasha seemed to respect and trust her.

"Tasha," Adena whispered, getting her friend's attention.

Steve could swear that he saw a look of sadness and compassion in the other woman's eyes, but it disappeared quickly as she reached out to envelope his wife in a tight hug.

"Hey," Natasha whispered back. "How are you holding up? You've had a big night, from what I hear."

Adena nodded and pulled back a little. "I've never seen someone get shot before." She swallowed. "Well, I didn't actually see him get shot, but you know…"

Natasha just hugged her again. "I know. You'll be okay –after all, you've got Steve to help you."

Steve felt a tiny bit of tension leave him as Adena gave a small, watery chuckle. "That's true. I've got you, Cap," she said, looking over at him with a fond expression.

He smiled back at her. "Of course you do," he softly replied, moving to pull her into a hug. The shield on his back was a bit cumbersome, but he ignored it in favor of holding Adena.

A quick minute passed before he heard someone clearing her throat. He realized it was Agent Hill, and she was gazing at them rather coolly. "I apologize, but I would like to know if any of you can give a description of the attacker."

Pulling away from Adena, Steve wanted to say something rather rude, but his wife shook her head at him. "I never got a good look, but Steve did," she replied while looking up at him, clearly expecting him to tell Agent Hill what he knew.

Knowing that he had to help, he put his anger in check and mentally got himself ready to make a report. "He wore a mask, so I never saw his face. But he was fast –really fast. And strong –he had a metal or mechanical arm of some kind. And he's an incredibly good shot."

Natasha seemed to go a bit pale, though her eyes kept looking through the window at the man who had recruited her into SHIELD. Steve could tell that she knew who he was talking about. "You know who he is, don't you?" he demanded, reaching out and grabbing her arm, forcing her to look at him.

She gave her arm a quick twist, freeing herself from his grip. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself before saying, "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. Those who do, call him The Winter Soldier. He's like a ghost: you'll never catch him."

Adena eyed her closely. "But you've seen him, haven't you? You know something about him."

The glance Natasha gave her had a gleam of respect. "I've encountered him once. It wasn't something I'd like to remember. Maybe, someday, I'll tell you about it."

Just then, they heard the sound of a monitor indicating that Fury's heartbeat was slowing. A look of panic seized Adena's face, and Steve immediately reached out and pulled her close as the doctors tried to save their patient.

I don't know how it happened, but it did. One minute, things were going well, and the next, the doctors were calling out the time of death.

All I could do was stand in shock as the still body of Director Nick Fury was wheeled out of the operating room, straight to the morgue. A voice in my head was crying out that Nick Fury was dead, even as I watched Natasha try to hold back tears. I'd always thought nothing could faze her, but this did. Fury had been good to her, and how her friend and mentor was gone.

It wasn't long before a doctor came to give his condolences, and to ask if we wanted to see the body. We all agreed, and trailed solemnly behind him as we made our way down to the morgue. There, we were left alone, all of us silently paying our respects to the man who had done so much for all of us, even when we didn't know it.

Swallowing down my own tears, I felt Steve put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close as we watched Natasha place a gentle hand on her mentor's head. It was an affectionate gesture, a glimpse of a side of her that very few got to see. I guess being around me and Steve had made her go a bit soft.

"I've got to take him," whispered Agent Hill. I'd met her only a handful of times, but I knew that Fury had considered her one of his best agents.

I nodded before going to put an arm around Natasha, who looked at me with eyes that seemed lost and confused. I understood how she felt –being the stubborn, determined, and resourceful man that he had been, it had seemed that Fury would outlive us all.

"Captain Rogers?" called a man from the hallway, getting all of our attention. I saw it was a man in military gear, and that he had the air of someone who had seen a thousand fights and still come out on top. "Sir, I'm here to take you to the Triskelion. Alexander Pierce would like a word with you."

Steve did not look happy to leave me, especially at a sad time. "Can't it wait? We're dealing with a significant loss to us."

The man only seemed vaguely sympathetic to our situation. "I understand, sir, but I have orders; as do you. I need you to come with me."

For a second, I thought Steve was going to take a swing at him, so I put a hand on his arm and rose up on my toes so that I could talk to him without being overheard. "It's okay," I whispered. "You go. Natasha can look after me."

"After what I saw her do on our last mission, I'm not sure if I trust her," he softly replied, eyes still fixed on the man standing in the doorway.

"We have to," I whispered back urgently. "Fury gave me something after he was shot, and Natasha is the only one I trust with it." I pressed a kiss to his cheek. "It'll be okay. I'll be fine with her."

Since he wasn't being given a choice, Steve grudgingly nodded. "Alright; I'll meet up with you later, as soon as I'm done. I'll call you before I get on the road back." I noticed that he didn't say where he'd meet us, but I had a feeling Natasha would manage something.

After he was gone, Natasha pulled me out of the morgue and into a quiet hallway. "I need to get you someplace safe," she whispered, eyes alert to everything around us. "With Fury gone and Steve off at that meeting, there's no one left to keep an eye on you."

"Our neighbor's a SHIELD agent; he was keeping an eye on us, on Fury's orders," I replied. She gave me a look. "I figured he was an agent after he barged in and told us. His name is Richard Cooper."

She relaxed a little. "Richie? Good guy, even better agent. He's physically built like the good Captain, but his mind's a SHIELD agent through-and-through. I'll give him a call and have him meet us outside so that he can get you out of here."

My heart sank. "I'm not going home?" That was where I wanted to be right now, even if those SHIELD agents hadn't fixed it up yet.

She shook her head. "Too dangerous. We don't know the motives behind the attack on Fury, and his assassin now knows the location of your apartment. I'm going to have Richie take you to a safe house off the grid. No one will know where you are except me and Richie –and Steve," she added, when she saw me open my mouth. "Let me make a few calls to get you settled."

Sighing, I reached inside my coat and pulled out the flash drive, as well as a pack of gum I always kept in that pocket. Keeping the gum on top of the drive, I said, "Here, you might need this, in case you end up having a long night."

Natasha accepted my gift with a smile. "Thanks." Her hand quickly tucked it into her own breast pocket. "Now, let's get you someplace safe."

AN: Review?