"Who is that?" Steve didn't have anywhere but the Avenger's tower to return to. His apartment was destroyed following the gunfight with the winter solider. So he went to the only place he knew was safe for him and Tasha.

"Hey Tony." Steve approached the man and gave him a quick hug-slap on the back, surprising the genius.

"Cap. Are you alright in the head?"

Steve just laughed and shook his head. "It's just nice to see a friendly face."

"I've been called many things, but not that." Tony Stark smirked. "Who's the blonde?" His head nodded towards the woman, curled on the couch watching the news cycle, showing D.C.. It had taken nearly ten hours to get back to New York, in which Leshia had convinced Natasha to decode some of her husband's files. Steve had told Natasha in was a bad idea, and once Leshia began reading, she stopped talking and hadn't started since. He needed to go through those files so he could find out what troubled his friend so.

"That's Leshia. We were friends in D.C.." Steve nodded his head towards the stairwell for Tony to follow. Once out of earshot, Steve shoved his hands in his pockets. "Her husband was the STRIKE team commander. She's a good person."

"Was? He died in the Triskelion?"

Steve sighed as he shook his head. "No. He was Hydra."

"What?" Tony's eyes snapped toward the door that separated him and the wife of a Hydra agent. "How do we know she's not one?" Tony scowled.

"She's not." Steve assured. "There isn't a way. She's shocked."

"That doesn't mean—"

"Natasha said the same thing. She's checking Hydra files now. I'll keep an eye on her 'till Tasha deems her trustworthy, which she will."

"Which she did." Natasha walked down the stairs. "She was his mark." Natasha spat. "She was Rumlow's target. Hydra told him to keep her close and report on suspicious behavior."

"And she read that in the files." Steve ran a hand over his face. "She shouldn't have found out like that."

Natasha crossed her arms. "What do we do with her?"

"She's not an animal." Steve frowned. "She's someone who just found out her husband lied to her from the beginning, that everything, even their relationship, wasn't real."

"Steve, she didn't mean it like that." Tony tried to intervene, for once being the one playing moderator.

"I'll talk to her." Steve shook his head before pushing open the door.

"Leshia." Steve bent down in front of her, blocking her site from the news cycle. "Here." He handed her a cup of tea.

Leshia sat up and took the familiar beverage. She was English, so of course she liked tea, as was the stereotype. Brock had always made fun of her for it, but would kiss her and make her a cup anyways. "Thanks." She looked down at the cup.

"Leesh. Do you have any family you can stay with while this blows over?" Steve had know Alisha for awhile, but never knew much about her family besides that they lived in England.

For the first time since Brock left, Leshia felt something other than numb. "No, I can't." She shook her head vehemently. "I…Steve, you don't know them—"

"Hey, calm down." Steve sensed Leshia's panic immediately. "We won't make you go anywhere you don't want to, but the Tower may be a target. I want you off the grid, safe, from Hydra." From Brock.

"I can't go back to my family. I'd rather risk it here, please."

"You could die here." Steve tried to reason with her.

She would likely die if she went home. She fled. Her father had wanted the Dark Lord to brand her like cattle and Leshia knew the only place she could hide without being found was the Muggle world. So she had gathered every galleon she had and run, not looking back. She got a job at a school and got married. "My family…they aren't good people. They're…they're worse than Hydra." They'd killed people, raped, tortured people. Her father was no different than Brock.

"Leshia, what do you mean?"

"There was a war…my father…my family…they were the Hydra of that war." She'd been beaten when she was eleven, crucio'd until she thought she'd lost her mind. All because she was sorted into the wrong House at school. She remembered screaming. Papa, papa, please. And her mother had screamed for her father to stop. Lucius, that's enough. She'll share a room with the Longbottoms if you hold the curse any longer! She'd always been second best to Draco and knew that running away from the Dark Lord was unforgivable. "They'll kill me if I go back." She whispered, causing Steve's heart to break.

"Okay." Steve glanced behind him. "My friend, Sam is flying up to help out. Until…until we figure out what's going on, don't leave the tower. Try to stay around an Avenger when possible, okay." Steve placed a hand on Leshia's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what he did to you."

Steve realized what she was referring to quickly. The Elevator. "Hey. Don't ever apologize for him. You didn't know. You couldn't have." He grasped her hand. "Tony set up a floor for me a while back. You and Sam will stay with me, okay?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

The next morning, Leshia woke up and it took her a few moments to remember. Remember that her husband had lied to her, left her broken, and her world had crashed around her. She didn't have a job anymore. She had gotten a call, firing her from her school librarian job the previous evening. Steve had told her it was for the best, that she couldn't be out alone right now. She got out of the large bed and shucked the pajamas Natasha had provided her before getting in the shower. She looked down at her stomach. She had been waiting to tell Brock that she was pregnant. It wasn't obvious, she had just been to the doctor and found out she was three months along. She had been overly tired and was throwing up. She had just thought that it was leftover effects from injuries she had suffered as a child. She'd always had after effects, telling Brock she had been in an accident as a child.

They hadn't been trying for a baby, quite the opposite, actually. Leshia didn't know how she could be a mother when she had no example of good parenting from her childhood and Brock had never brought it up so they had continued to use protection and birth control throughout their relationship. She didn't know how they slipped. She didn't even know if she wanted the baby now, especially given her current circumstances. She was supposed to go back to the doctor soon for an ultrasound but she didn't know how she could leave the tower without attracting attention. Would Steve reject her and force her out on her own if he found out? She didn't think he would but she also hadn't thought her husband could be a Hydra agent.

Once she had showered and pulled on the leggings and sweater Natasha had again supplied her with, she made her way towards the floor's common room where Steve said he'd have breakfast with her. "Good morning." She sat next to him as he read the paper with a frown, quickly closing it when she approached him.

"Good morning." He smiled at her kindly. "Did you sleep well?" She nodded. "Would you like some coffee?" Steve jerked his head over to the sink.

"No thanks." She couldn't.

"Alright." Steve frowned, concerned. "How about something to eat? We have yogurt and cereal down here. If you want something hot, Tony's chef usually leaves extras upstairs in the common kitchen."

"A yogurt is fine." She thanked Steve as he pulled out two flavors, giving her a choice. "Raspberry." She pointed.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Steve spoke. "Sam should be here today. And Tony mentioned that Pepper, his girlfriend, should be in tomorrow night." He informed her. "Nat said Clint would arrive in the next week too. He's Hawkeye." Steve amended, realizing she didn't now everyone by name. He cleared his throat. "I'm going to have to leave once you get settled." He thought of Bucky, out in the cold, alone, confused.

"Oh." She nodded. "You won't be alone. And I won't leave until you're comfortable around Sam and Tasha, at least."

"You don't have to do that."

"You're my friend. I can't abandon one friend to find another." Steve smiled sadly.

"I really appreciate everything you've done for me." She took his hand platonically and gave it a squeeze. "You didn't have to warn me about…about Brock. I don't know what he expected…I could never…"

"You don't have to explain yourself. Everyone was fooled."