*3 months ago*

"Hello ma'am?"

"What can I help you with today?" I don't look up from my clipboard as I check off new releases I've ordered.

"I'm new around here and noticed the city doesn't have a library. Do you loan out books as well or just sell?" It was a question I got often from newcomers. I look up and I'm astonished at the handsome redhead in front of me.

"Well I only sell but if you look in the far corner that's painted red. It's donated books that I allow people to take and return at their discretion." I point to the back wall.

It was a program I started with my own collection of books so that teens and kids without money could still take books to read. The entire town started donating books when they heard of it and now I had 3 large bookshelves full. From what I know none had taken advantage of the free selection, and most or all books had been borrowed and returned.

"That's great. Thank you." He smiles at me and makes his way to the corner. I put my clipboard down and follow him. It's not everyday that a handsome stranger walks in.

*2 month ago*

"Hey Ana! You look beautiful." Ben walks through the door of the bookstore with lunch in his hand. Always the charmer. "I enjoyed the book you picked out for me." He hands me my food and we sit down to eat.

"Oh well everyone enjoys at least one Stephen King novel." I unwrap my food. Yep he got my favorite.

"Well I wanted to ask you something Ana." He sounds nervous. I look up to see that he hasn't touched his food yet. Uh oh. Ben loves to eat so something is really bothering him. "Would you like to... go out with me? Like for dinner? Like a date?"

"Of course Ben! I would love to!"

*1 month ago *

Ben's hands are tangled in my dark curls and his lips are hungrily kissing mine. I wrap my arms tighter around his neck bringing him closer to me. I can feel his muscular chest hidden beneath his sweater.

His mouth opens while his tongue lightly caress my bottom lip. My mouth opens to his and he moans in response. Ben's hands drop to my shoulders and slide down to my hips. I run my hands down his chest and stop at his pants. My fingers fumble with his belt until he pulls away.

"Ana. I'm trying to be a gentleman."

I step away a few feet in his small studio apartment. It was our first time in a private setting and the sexual tension was high. We both wanted this.

"You are a gentleman." I begin to unbutton my shirt but Ben steps forward stopping me with a kiss. His hands pull mine away and keep them at my sides. He breaks the kiss and places his forehead against mine.

"Give me time." He whispers and I silently agree.

*Now*

Caleb takes me to a coffee shop across the street. We sit in the back corner away from the crowd. He's wearing a SHIELD uniform hopefully meaning he didn't get in too much trouble for our relationship.

He takes off his dark sunglasses and now I can see he has a black eye. He sighs and leans back in the chair running his hands through his hair. He looks stressed and upset. Not like the carefree and happy Ben I knew.

"What happened?" I'm still worried about him. I don't know if I can trust him but I still have feelings for him.

"A couple rounds with an agent, to learn my place." He sighs and shrugs it off.

"That's terrible. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I get to keep my rank and stay here. I'm security detail for you." He gives me a small smile. I can tell there is something else he doesn't want to say.

"B- Caleb why did you break protocol? Were you trying to get more information from dating me?"

"No, no of course not." He leans forward and grabs my hands. His brown eyes meet mine. "Ana at first I was there just to get some intel and leave but when I met you..." He shakes his head and smiles, "How could I not want to get to know the most beautiful woman I had ever met?"

I blush and look away. I believe what he says. Caleb is Ben. I don't think he was pretending to be someone else. I think he was being himself.

"Caleb I-" He puts a finger up to my lips to stop me.

"I have waited months for you to actually say my name. Say it again please."

Caleb leans forward and I do the same. Only inches apart and it makes my heart race. His fingers caress my lips and then my cheek. He's so much more relaxed now.

"Caleb." I whisper and bring my lips to meet his.

"Agent Bailey." A stern voice interrupts us.

We pull apart quickly. Natasha is standing at our table, hand on her hip with a scowl on her face. Caleb stands quickly and stiffens his pose.

"You were given orders. I don't think you want another report made." She warns him.

"Yes ma'am." Caleb turns back to me. "I'm sorry. I'll be in the background keeping you safe but all relationships must be terminated Ms. Smith." He nods to us both and leaves.

Natasha takes Caleb's seat.

"What the hell?" I ask clearly frustrated.

"No relationships with agents. He has a job to do and so do you." Natasha throws a file on the table.

WINTER SOLDIER

"This is the mission we have recruited you for. Obviously we will be training for a while to get you to understand and control your powers. But you still need to see this."

She opens the file to show me a black and white photo of a man with a metal arm. Long dark hair and a mask covering half his face. The photo was grainy so I couldn't make out any features on him.

"And this is?"

"The reason you're here. This is the Winter Soldier. He's a super soldier like Steve that is under HYDRA control. They send him out to destroy their targets. YOU are the target this time."

"Me?" I gasp.

"HYDRA must have gained intel on your powers. We think they want you captured to control you but he may just be out to kill you."

I sink in my seat. This is a lot to process. Powers. Superheroes. Fake Boyfriend. An assassin coming to kill me. What's next?

"Something else. We infiltrated a HYDRA base last week and they had two captives." She sighs and slides a folder toward me.

I open it. There's picture of a young man with silver hair sitting on a bench with a scowl on his face. Pietro Maximoff. Another picture of a young woman with auburn hair and the same scowl. Wanda Maximoff. Twins.

"We thought they were prisoners but during the extraction we found out they were actually HYDRA experiments. Pietro has amazing speed. Wanda has some kind of mental powers but we aren't completely sure of exactly what she can do."

She takes the file back and shakes her head.

"I don't agree with all of this but Fury wants you to talk to them. Loosen them up and see if they will join us. He thinks you and Wanda have similar powers and maybe she could train you."

"Give me some time. I need to talk to my mom and figure a few things out."

"You have 48 hours." She stands to leave but doesn't. I can tell she's debating on saying something. "I... for the record, I don't agree with a lot of this. I'm following orders but I'm telling Fury I'm no longer a messenger. I will be here for you... as a friend." She smiles.

"Thank you Natasha."

"Nat." She offers.

"Nat." I smile and she walks away leaving me alone in the bustling coffee shop.

Now I have to confront my mother.

*

Alone in my room I pick up my phone and see Jill is doing great and happy with the new position. She sent me a photo with her posing with my mother dusting the classic romance novels. I smile and tears sting my eyes. I miss them so much.

I dial my mom and almost immediately she answers, "Ana! I've been so worried waiting for your call!" Her voice sounds so relieved but I can tell she has been crying.

"Hey mom. I'm sorry I left my phone in my room this morning and things have been... busy."

"You're eyes went blue, didn't they?" A cold sensation flows over my body. How did she know?

"Yes." My voice is just a whisper.

"Ana. There's a few things I need to tell you."

"A few? A FUCKING FEW THINGS?!" I'm yelling and I don't care. She's acting so nonchalant about me being a mutant freak.

"Ana calm down or you'll have a reaction."

"A reaction?" I laugh. "YOU WANT TO CALL MY DEADLY POWERS A REACTION?"

"Ana-"

"No. Stop. I've killed people. INNOCENT," I stop myself. She was right I had to keep my emotions in check. "I've killed fucking innocent people. Don't downplay what I am."

The line is silent for a moment and I wonder if she has hung up. I hear a soft sob and I regret yelling at her. The only person who has loved me and always been there, was now being hurt by me.

"I'm sorry," my mom finally says. "I'll tell you what I know."

I sit down at the desk in my room with a notepad and pen. I want to write a much as I can.

"It all started when I was pregnant. Most women feel movement around 4 or 5 months. I felt movement the second week. By the time I was 2 months pregnant my belly was bruised from every kick. The doctors tried to do an ultrasound to check on you but every machine would malfunction or break as soon as it touch my skin." She sighed and I stayed quiet waiting for more.

"You're father had me admitted to the hospital at 3 months. I was severely underweight even though I ate almost constantly. You were draining me of every nutrient my body absorbed. So they hooked me up and pumped me full of fluids, vitamins and food. I stayed there the rest of my pregnancy... in a medically induced coma." I gasped and continued writing every word.

"The doctors woke me up after a successful caesarean. You were a healthy 8lb baby. Full head of brown curls and big, bright eyes. Your father and I took you home and everything was normal. You were just like any other baby except you never cried. We would take one look at you and knew exactly what you needed. It was like you told us telepathically. You never got sick and never got hurt."

"Before your father passed he told me that there was a man that could help. He gave me his name and number and told me to contact him. After he died I called Nick Fury and he tried a small evaluation on you. He decided the best thing to do was to raise you normally and wait till you were older to examine your powers."

"Thanks Mom."

"I love you Morana. More than anything."

"I know Mom. I love you too." I hang up and look at the words on the paper. There was only one question I had now.

How did my father know Fury?