Like many of you commented, trouble is brewing. A lot of you want Mady to get around to telling Steve. Not going to happen for a while. Will that make things worse when she finally spills the beans?

Side note: REO Speedwagon is the best.

Xenocanaan – That's one for Steve blowing up when he finds out. I need to keep a running total and see how many people guess correctly.

Peoplers – No, Steve doesn't know about Mady and her abilities or anything S.H.I.E.L.D related.

Hannah . kaho – It wasn't in my mind while I was typing it, but there may have been some unconscious thought going in. Honest Trailers and HISHE are the best by the way.

Guest – Let's see how the mounting secrets build up shall we?

MisfitCarter – Fun fluffy time is over…for now at least. At the start, I actually had Mady coming in to save Fury, but I decided against it. I think that played out to my advantage.

Semper Paratus - *insert evil laugh* Thank you so much!

BrazilWolf – Seems that way doesn't it?

Chapter 25

Mady couldn't remember the last time she had been so tired after work. Rounds had been a pain, and the minute she stepped into her apartment, Mady let out a loud groan. Her day was finally over! Now she could go to bed and catch up on her sleep.

"Long day?" she squeaked, jumping in place to see someone she never imagined would be in her apartment. Nursing a glass of some kind of liquor, leaning against the island in the kitchen was Nick Fury.

"Oh, hey Nick, come on in. Make yourself at home. Could I get you a drink? You've had a rough couple of days. I bet you need one," Mady said, dropping her bag on the table. "You are rockin' that beanie. Let me tell ya."

"I'm glad you still have your sense of humor after what has just happened," he took a large gulp of whatever he was drinking. "I'm here on business."

"I only every see you when it's about business. Is it that time?" she crossed her arms over her chest, knowing that if there was ever going to be a time, it would be now. The man nodded.

Mady went to the coffee table, opening the drawer and pulled out the folder. The folder for big emergencies, and this was definitely a big emergency.

"All right, Nick," she handed it to him. "Sign it, and I will start getting everything ready. Do I have time to-"

"Yes," he interrupted, holding up one hand while taking the folder with the other. "He's going to come by tomorrow."

"You sent him on a mission already didn't you?" her heart fell to her knees. She thought she would have more time.

"I didn't," he answered, pushing the file across the table. "He and Wilson are doing this on their own."

"Damn it, Sam," she hissed, knowing that he and Steve had become best buddies over the last couple of days all thanks to Jared. "He's going after Bucky isn't he?"

"That's what it sounded like when they discussed it at the cemetery. I'm going to need you within the next three weeks. You know where. Will everything be ready by then?"

"Are you kidding? I could have everything ready to go by tomorrow morning if you wanted me to," she scoffed. "What's your next move?"

"Europe," he answered, taking his empty glass and putting it in the dishwasher. "I need to see if there are any bases left that are not compromised. We're going to need all the help we can get if we are going to build S.H.I.E.L.D back up again."

"I wish you the best, Nick," she said. "I have a feeling you'll find more than you expect."

"You too, Madalyn," he pulled on his jacket. "I'll be seeing you again in three weeks. Let Maria know we've started Upstate as well, would you?"

"I will do that, sir," she nodded, watching the man leave her apartment. "So much for not being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent."

After she got a decent night's sleep, Mady didn't know when she would get the opportunity to sleep like that again, she got to work. She sent Maria the message, officially beginning Project Upstate. The name was stupid and completely obvious to anyone with a brain, but she couldn't do anything about it now.

Once that was out of the way, Mady began straightening up. She couldn't bring out the boxes just yet, especially if Steve was going to come over to say good bye. It wasn't really goodbye. Not really. She was only packing up the big and unnecessary things. Her apartment would only be of use to her when she came to visit Kelly or her brother for a few days.

Steve, she let out another sigh. She was going to miss him so much. She was going to miss everything about D.C. to be completely honest. Well, almost everything about D.C. A loud knock from the door startled her, but only for a moment. She wasn't expecting him this early.

"You're looking better," she commented as she let him inside. "That's good."

"I feel a lot better too," Steve dropped a bag onto the floor. "I don't think I've ever seen your place so clean before. You usually have books piled all over the place. Spring cleaning?"

"Something like that," she hated lying to him. Now more than ever. Maybe if she would have told him the truth, this wouldn't be so hard. "What's with the bag? Going on a trip?"

"Mady," he grabbed ahold of her hands. "I need to find him. He's out there somewhere alone and confused. Sam and I are leaving first thing in the morning, and I thought that maybe I could spend my last night here with you. I'm not sure when I'll be back. It could be weeks, months-"

"Years?" she whispered.

"No, definitely not," he pulled her into a warm embrace. "Being away from each other for years would be a death sentence."

"No kidding. In that case, what do you want for dinner? I'll make you whatever. You might not have the luxury when you're out on that man-hunt."

"Nope, you're not doing anything," he insisted. "We're going to get take out and watch movies like we always do. I don't want this night to be different than another other."

"That way it doesn't seem like goodbye?"

"This isn't goodbye, Mady," Steve told her. "Nowhere close. Who knows, maybe Sam and I will find Bucky within a week. I'll be back here before you know it."

"Do you believe that, Steve?" she asked. "Do you think Bucky wants to be found so easily after what happened?"

"No, but I can hope."

"I guess this means those house hunting plans are going to be put on hold for a bit."

"For now," he answered. "But we will get a place to ourselves. I promise."

"I'm glad. Going back and forth is getting really annoying. I'm starting to forget which stuff is where."

The leftover containers littered the coffee table as the couple cuddled on the couch as they watched one of their favorite movies, music from Mady's iPod silently playing from the other side of the room. Steve wasn't kidding when he said that she wasn't going to do anything. He did absolutely everything.

"How is it midnight already?" she asked as the credits rolled not bothering to get out of Steve's embrace. "Last time I checked it was seven."

"A funny thing time-"

"Don't be a smartass," she turned her head to stare him down. "It was a rhetorical question. It would probably be smart to go to bed. You have important things to do in a few hours."

"But you're so comfy," he pulled her closer. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not allowed to be sad?" she asked. "I'm not going to see you for God knows how long, Steve. How can you not be upset about this?"

"You don't think I'm upset?" he countered. "You don't think I spent the last couple days going back and forth about this? About leaving you? Because I did. My heart ached thinking about it. Thinking about how I won't have you in my arms every day. How I am going to wake up in the morning and you aren't going to be there. Yeah I've thought about it, but I need to find him, Mady."

"I know you do," she whispered, her fingers tracing over his skin beneath his shirt. "I don't want to like it, but I know why you're doing it. I would do the same thing in your position. Just do me a favor and come back in one piece. I don't want to have to patch you up again."

"That is such a lie," he chuckled. "You liked stitching me all back together. Anything to get my shirt off."

"You may be right," she sighed. "Can you blame me? You're an Adonis. I am one lucky woman."

"And I am one lucky man," his hands roamed over her thighs. "Who knows where I would be without you."

"Let's not think about it."

"What's wrong?" he questioned when she bolted up into a sitting position, his arms holding her tightly around the hips. "Mady?"

"Who put this song on?" her heart pounded. "Steven?"

"I just hit shuffle," he claimed. "We love this song. Hey, hey, hey, don't cry."

"I can't help it," she cried, collapsing into his chest. "It's those stupid lyrics."

"But I am going to keep on loving you," he recited. "Cuz it's the only thing I wanna do."

"Not helping the situation, Rogers!"

"I don't care," he wiped her tears away again. "Remember when you made me listen to this song for the first time?"

"I didn't make you," she gaped. "It was background while we were making dinner."

"Yes, but you still shushed me when it came on," he rested his chin on the top of her head, sighing deeply. "And then you decided to go all karaoke on me."

"Don't remind me," she groaned.

"It was adorable," his lips brushed over her temple. "Save your tears, Mady. I want our last night to be a happy one."

"That's when you told me you loved me for the first time," she whispered. "You were so embarrassed."

"It's not my fault. You looked at me like a deer in headlights for a good ten minutes before saying it back. I thought I screwed everything up."

"You didn't," she cupped his cheeks with both hands. "I was glad you said it first. I was really close to telling you, but you beat me to it. Take me to bed, Captain."

"Yes, ma'am," his lips met hers as he carried her into the bedroom.

Steve woke up early the next morning. The sun still below the horizon. He sighed looking at the woman that meant everything to him. He knew he shouldn't leave. He should have just stayed there with her and made Sam chase Bucky on his own, but he couldn't do that.

Slowly, Steve untangled himself from her as he started to gather his things. He knew deep down that this was possibly the worst way to leave, but Steve had to begin his man hunt. The earlier the better. He was amazed that he managed to get everything packed without getting a peep out of Mady. Quickly, he wrote her a message, placing it on the nightstand beside her.

"I love you," he whispered against her skin, kissing her goodbye one last time as he headed out the door.

Mady let out a groan when she woke up, roughly two hours later. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, a perfect start to the day. Almost. She wanted to say she was surprised to find the spot beside her cold and empty, but she wasn't. She knew, deep in her gut, that Steve would leave her while she was still asleep.

"Way to be that guy, Rogers," Mady sat up in her bed, clutching the sheet to her chest, spotting a single red rose lying on her bedside table. "Let's face it; you could never be that guy."