My footsteps echoed painfully on the cold floor as I woke up searching for Steve. It was early since I couldn't sleep much, but he was nowhere to find. He left without leaving even a note. I would lie if I say it didn't hurt. He was angry, that's sure, maybe I could understand his point, but I thought we're better than this. Well, I guess I was wrong again...

I decided to take a hot shower to clear my mind.

I had to leave, that was obvious. The reason I came here was no longer exist, so after I finished I started to pack my stuffs. As I was done I was thinking about writing a message, but I couldn't make a decision since my phone started to ring. It was Fury.

"Coulson." I picked it up immediately. "I'm about to return to New York, sir."

"I need you to stay in Washington DC." He stated simply making me nervous.

"What about Agent Hill?" It slipped through my mouth without thinking, and I regretted it right away.

There was a second pause on the other side and I bit my lips.

"Agent Hill is on her way to the capital." He started coldly. "And that was an order, Coulson, do you copy?" He asked me with the tone that could freeze anyone's blood in his veins.

"Sir, yes, sir." I nodded even though he couldn't see it.

"Over." He commented then hung up. I released the breath I was holding unintentionally while my shoulders dropped.

I had to stay, but I thought it's still a better idea to move to a hotel room.

I took my backpack and left. On the way I decided to visit Sam first at the VA. His group meeting was about to start.

STEVE'S P.O.V

"You should be proud of yourself, Peggy." I told her as I looked at the pictures she had on her nightstand. I visited her in the nursing home right after I get up. I needed to see her, I needed her to be the constant point in my life right now.

"I have lived a life." She said also smiling. "My only regret is that you didn't get to live yours." She said looking at me and I felt she can see through me easily. She always could. "What is it?"

"For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right." I started honestly while Lily's disappointed face came to my mind unintentionally as she left me yesterday evening. "I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore." I admitted, but she stayed silent. She knew there's more. "And I thought I could throw myself back in and follow orders. Serve." I paused taking a deep breath. "It's just not the same." I summed it up smiling at her. Following orders was different back then. Or it wasn't, maybe I was different.

I really didn't have any idea what to do now.

"You're always so dramatic." She chuckled kindly. I loved how she could cheer me up in a moment. "Look, you saved the world." She started. "We rather mucked it up."

"You didn't." I shook my head. "Knowing that you helped found S.H.I.E.L.D. is half the reason I stay." I confessed. SHIELD wasn't the place that it was before. I felt like it got compromised in many level.

"Hey." She tried to get my attention. "Don't be so hard on her." She said and I raised my eyebrows not being sure who did she mean.

"What?" She asked smirking. "Do you think I don't know when it's about a girl?" She asked. "I may be old, but I know that look on your face." She looked me in the eye remembering our time together. I smiled at her. She was right. "The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best. " She continued seriously now. "And sometimes the best that we can do is to start over."

Maybe she was right. And I knew just where to go now.

LILY'S P.O.V

An ex-military man was talking about his PTSD when I arrived to the meeting. I sneaked in quietly and took a seat near to the entrance. I put my backpack down next to my leg while nodding to Sam who noticed me immediately. He smiled at me briefly letting me know he noticed me, then turned to a woman who would like to speak.

"The thing is, I think it's getting worse in my case." She started. "A cop pulled me over last week. He thought I was drunk." She paused. It was obviously still hard for her to talk about. "I swerved to miss a plastic bag. I thought it was an IED." She admitted, and I felt someone's watching me. Call it a super sense but I always could tell this.

I looked at the opened door and I saw Steve leaning on the doorway examining me. My heart skipped a bit as I remembered we didn't talk since last night and it wasn't nice either. I probably looked like a deer caught in the headlight since I absolutely felt like it. He looked calm though, I even saw a light smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Some stuff you leave there." I've heard Sam start to talk from the background. "Other stuff you bring back. It's our job to figure out how to carry it. Is it gonna be in a big suitcase, or in a little man-purse?" Sam asked as we were still gazing each other. "It's up to you." He finished and Steve took some steps back waiting for me to follow. I sighed then went after him.

"You're leaving?" He asked me when he saw my backpack.

"Actually no." I admitted and I saw him relieve. "Fury wants me in town." I explained. "But I do move out to a hotel." I added.

"That's nonsense." He shook his head. "You can stay with me." He ensured me, but I wasn't convinced.

"It will be better. I think we might use some..." I paused searching for the right word. " space."

He sighed then lowering his head for a moment then he faced me again.

"Look, yesterday was intense." He said and his piercing blue eyes told me he means what he's saying. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you out. It wasn't your fault, you were just following Fury's order..." He wanted to continue, but I interrupted him.

"No." I disagreed. "I mean, yes, I was, but you just can't lead a team, when members has a secret mission." I explained pinning my head down. "You were counting on me, you had a plan, and you couldn't calculate correctly if I fail you." I took a deep breath to calm myself, but it wasn't really successful. "I..."

"Hey." He interrupted me trying to catch my attention, but I didn't look at him. "Let's just forget about it, all right?" He suggested gently lifting my chin up. I finally looked him in the eye and get lost. All I could do was nodding.

"Look who it is, the running man." I heard Sam coming and we parted. "Lily." He nodded again.

"Hey Sam." I smiled at him. "It was a great speech, you help a lot to these people." I complimented him honestly.

"Yeah, caught the last few minutes. It's pretty powerful." Steve added.

"Yeah, we all got the same problems." He said and I involuntary sensed his feelings.

"Guilt, regret." I murmured, and he looked at me frowning. "You lost someone." I declared, instead of a asking, but he considered it as question.

"My wingman, Riley. Flying a night mission. Standard PJ rescue op. Nothing we hadn't done 1,000 times before. " He started to explain. "Until an RPG knocked Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do." He said remembering, and I had to focus not to read him. I knew it wouldn't be a good idea right now. 'It's like I was up there just to watch."

"I'm sorry." Steve answered and I knew he thinks about Bucky.

"After that, I had a really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?"

"But you're happy now, back in the world?" Steve asked him.

"The number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell yeah." He chuckled. "Are you thinking about getting out?" Sam asked him, and I looked at Steve kind of shocked.

"No." He said immediately, looking at me sensing my confusion. "I don't know." He admitted seeing my face. "To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did."

"Ultimate fighting?" Sam asked and I couldn't help, but burst out of laughing. "Just a great idea off the top of my head." He backed off smiling. "Seriously, you could do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?" He continued.

"I don't know." Steve answered honestly and I suddenly felt bad for him. All his life was serving, he sacrificed himself to protect those who needed.

"Sam, can you come over, please?" We heard a girl asking him.

"Sure thing." He answered then turned back to us. "It was a pleasure to meet you guys. Anytime you want, my doors are open." He ensured us, then left leaving us alone again.

"So, are we okay?" Steve asked wanting to close the mission of yesterday. I didn't say a thing at first.

"It depends on." I started smirking and he also smiled curiously. "Will you buy me a coffee?"

"Oh, it's just too easy." He said taking my backpack out of my hand and threw it on his shoulder.

"All right, I can eat lunch too." I added it to my list. He chuckled lightly then answered being more satisfied.

"That's better."

"You know that I can carry my stuff, right?" I raised my eyebrow. "I mean it's not heavy at all." I reasoned, but he didn't seem to care.

"Yeah, I know." He agreed in the end. "But you don't have to." He added casually.

"Okay." I nodded. "Anyway, you look sexy with that flowery knapsack on your back..." I teased him.

"I know, riiiight?" He asked me with his fake girly-tone, and I had to laugh.

The afternoon went by fast. We eat a lunch, then we headed to drink a coffee. I ordered my favorite, caramel latte macchiato and Steve did the same to try it.

"You never told me, you want to quit." I said when we got out drinks.

"Yeah, well it's kind of a new thing." He admitted. "Haven't you ever considered leaving SHIELD?" He asked and I had to think.

"After my father died, yes." I confessed while I stirred my coffee not looking up. "Staying seemed unbearable at first, you know." I explained. "Everything reminded of him."

"But you stayed in the end." He said and I looked at him smiling bitterly.

"Yes. He believed in SHIELD in any circumstances." I told. "I think he was kind of an ideologist, but no matter what happened he never lost his faith. I had to stay for him." I said then paused for a moment, but Steve didn't interrupted me. "And I guess, I would have no idea what to do with myself either without being what I am right now." I said the truth even if it was miserable.

"It's okay." He comforted me squeezing my hand. "You have plenty of time."

After coffee we took a walk and it was already dark when we arrived back to his apartment. At the front door Steve wanted to open the entrance, but he froze.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, but then I realized, music were playing from the inside.

"I don't remember leaving the stereo on." He said, and I shook my head that I didn't either. He wanted to get in by the window, but I stopped him.

"Let me try first." I asked him closing my eyes. I focused on the inside trying to dismiss Steve nervousness as I monitored the environment.

"It's Fury." I announced shocked.

"Are you sure?" He asked me surprised too.

"A hundred percent." I nodded, then he opened the door and we stepped in.

"I don't think I gave you a key." Steve told him as we saw him sitting on the couch. He was hostile but I guess he was still angry with him about my secret mission.

"You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out." He said showing his phone to us: Ears everywhere. He was injured pretty badly.

"I didn't know you were married." Steve kept talking like nothing happened.

"A lot of things you don't know about me." He said groaning in pain.

"I know, Nick. That's the problem." Steve answered.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." He told, then he showed us another message: SHIELD has been compromised.

"Who else knows about your wife?" I asked him getting closer examining his scars.

"Just... My friends." He said looking at me and I stopped for a moment and lightly smiled at him.

"Is that what we are?" Steve asked suspiciously.

"That's up to you." Fury said, standing up from the couch as I left for some bandage and disinfectant.

I've heard several gunshots while I was at the bathroom. I hurried out immediately, but Steve stopped me.

"Stay there, Lily!" He ordered and I nodded. We didn't know where the shooter is, so we could've been in danger still. I stayed covered for a few minutes just in case, but I couldn't resist. I tried to read if Steve and Fury is okay. First I found Steve, he seemed quite alright except his worry and anger and sadness... No, don't. I was afraid to search Fury's emotions, but I had to. The only thing I sensed was pain, and it also weakened.

I rushed to them back to the kitchen where Steve brought Fury. They shout him and he was bleeding fast. He was already unconscious. I didn't have time to think, I called Hill immediately.

"Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs." I told her and I heard her do as I asked right away. "Do we have a 20 on the shooter?" I interpreted her question to Steve, that maybe he saw something.

"Tell her I'm in pursuit." He said then he left after the attacker.

The medic team was there in a few minutes and we took him to a SHIELD hospital. They went to an operational room to make several surgeries to save him. I was about to break down, but I had to be mentally clear. This is not over, it's just a beginning.

"Is he gonna make it?" Steve stepped in as he arrived back from the chasing.

"I don't know." I folded my arms around myself for comfort. "Tell me about the shooter." I asked him trying to get my attention elsewhere.

"He's fast. Strong. Had a metal arm." He answered me understanding my wish.

"Ballistics?"

"Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable. Soviet-made." He told me, then we saw the medic team running around and bringing the defibrillator. I frowned concerned. This just can't be happening.

"Don't do this to me, Nick." I murmured under my nose, but Steve heard it and took some step closer to me then put his arm around my shoulder.

They hit Fury. Nothing happened.

"Just don't do this to me." I asked him desperately clenching my fists trying to stay in control.

They hit him again, but there was no heartbeat. I looked at the doctors as they stopped everything.

"Time of death, 1:03 a.m." A doctor announced and I crashed. I started to cry as Steve pulled me into a tight hug caressing my hair gently. I sobbed into his chest not even want to control it anymore.

They let us see his body for one last time to say our goodbyes. I was standing next to his lifeless body, and I couldn't cry anymore. Why did it has to happen? Do I have to loose everybody? First my father then Nick. He was a strict boss, but he always loved me like his daughter even if showed it occasionally.

"Lily." Steve stepped closer to me signing it's time to let him go. I touched Fury's forehead for the very last time, then I left the room without a word.

"Lily." Steve came after me worriedly then I realized something. Maybe Nick told something to Steve. Something that can help us to solve this.

"What did Fury told you before he lost conscious?"

"Nothing really." He shook his head, but it was an obvious lie.

"Cap, they want you back at S.H.I.E.L.D." Rumlow came interrupting our chat.

"Yeah, give me a second." He said turning back to me grabbing my hand.

"They want you now." Rumlow persisted not wanting to leave.

"I said a moment" Steve stated firmly staring daggers with him, then turned back again to me.

"You're still a terrible liar, Steve." I shook my head refusing to believe that he still don't trust me. I disengaged my hand from his wanting to leave, but then Rumlow called me.

"Coulson. They want you too."

I rolled my eyes considering to leave anyway, but I had no other choice then obey.