Chapter Two

Amelia winced as she pulled the phone away from her ear. She could still hear the string of cuss words coming through the phone in Russian as Natasha let out her anger. Only five minutes ago did Fury give Amelia the okay to let Natasha know of Clint's current status and now here she was.

Amelia waited patiently for Natasha to finish venting before placing the phone back over her ear, "Looks like I'll need hearing aids early in life."

"I'm sorry Mila," Natasha replied. "I'm just worried."

Amelia nodded her head even though her adoptive sister couldn't see. It was hard enough to make friends in their line of work, much less a family. Natasha had no family and considered Clint and Amelia the only siblings she'll ever have. The idea that they could lose one another in an instant was not foreign to them, but to be compromised was another matter entirely. Both women took the matter very seriously.

Amelia let out a small sigh, "I understand, believe me, Nat."

"Have they done anything to look for him?" The redhead asked.

"Fury only said that if we find the cube then we find Clint." She replied with a huff of annoyance.

Natasha grumbled, "Typical Fury."

She wasn't wrong. Fury was very set in following orders exactly as they are given unless they compromise his morals, then he only bends them. Amelia remembers the first time he didn't follow the rules. It was when Captain America had woken and escaped into the streets of the big city. Instead of allowing his men to tranquilize the soldier he let him take it all in. Fury wasn't a bad guy, he just had so many things on his plate that needed to be done and no one to help him.

Amelia decided to change the subject, "So you got stuck with Big Green huh?"

It was no secret that between Natasha and Amelia that she was secretly scared of the Hulk. He was unpredictable and Natasha relied on peoples sense of predictability to take them down. The Hulk was someone she couldn't reason with so, therefore, she was already freaking out about how she was going to bring him on board with the Avenger initiative.

Natasha snorted, "It's better than dealing with Stark."

Amelia chuckled, "He's not that bad."

Amelia had only met Stark once at his mansion in LA when Natasha had to go undercover to learn more about him. Needless to say, Amelia was more impressed by his girlfriend Pepper and how she handled him on a day to day basis. She was also impressed by Stark's own knowledge of hacking when he tested her. It only took her two minutes to hack in and send one of his most embarrassing baby photos to the press. Stark hadn't been very pleased with her after that, although Natasha and Amelia had a good laugh about it when the assassin came to stay at the brunette's place.

"Your right he's worse," Natasha responded. "Who did they assign to you?"

"Fury hasn't given me my assignment yet. All I know is that I'm going to be attending a council meeting with Fury in a few moments." Amelia replied with a groan.

The council meetings were always boring and very unnecessary because the board members cannot get along and form a complete decision on how to act to a threat. In all honesty, she felt that the council was a waste of time and that they should just go directly to each country that was under threatened, but she could understand why they thought this was easier... most of the time.

Natasha muttered 'lucky' and Amelia laughed, but before she could respond she heard Fury call her name. She said her goodbye to Natasha before hanging up and joining him in the council room. She watched nervously as the light dimmed and the hologram of the council members filled the room. Some greeted her kindly while others gave the agent a look of disdain. The older council members felt she was too young and naive to be allowed to see their nations greatest secrets.

"Good morning-" Amelia began only to be cut off by one of the male attendees.

"Do not speak unless spoken too."

Amelia closed her lips and stared at his open rudeness before recovering, "Considering our current situation I hardly think discussing my presence is worth the time nor the power it takes to make this call."

The man looked at her with annoyance before shaking his head and looking to Fury, "This is out of line, Director. You're dealing with forces you can't control."

Fury took a step forward and clasped his hands behind his back, "You ever been in a war, Councilman? In a firefight? Did you feel an overabundance of control?"

The council member frowned, "You saying that this Asgard has declared war on our planet?"

Fury shook his head, "Not Asgard. Loki."

Amelia nodded in agreement, "You can't define a kingdom based on the actions of a single man. If we do then we are no better than Loki who claims he can fix the world with a single war against humanity."

The council seemed to consider this before another spoke up, "He can't be working alone. What about the other one? His brother."

"I doubt Thor would declare war on a planet which holds the one he loves," She answered.

"Our intelligence says, Thor is not hostile." Fury adds. "But he's worlds away, we can't depend on him to help. It's up to us."

"Which is why you should be focusing on phase 2, it was designed for exactly..." Fury cut off the council member, "phase 2 isn't ready, our enemy is. We need a response team."

Amelia shot Fury a curious look at the mention of 'phase 2'. Apparently, he hadn't told her everything on the helicopter back to headquarters.

As she was about to ask what 'phase 2' was the council member continued, "The Avengers Initiative was shut down."

Fury seemed annoyed, "This isn't about The Avengers."

The council member didn't seem to believe Fury, "We're running the world's greatest covert security network and you're gonna leave the fate of the human race to a handful of freaks."

"Heroes" Amelia corrected. "You're leaving the fate of the world to the people who love it the most. Regardless of how they got their powers they haven't lost their humanity."

The council members didn't like the brunette's answer and turned to Fury, "You agree with her?"

Fury slowly nodded his head, "I'm not leaving anything to anyone, but we need a response team. These people may be isolated, unbalanced even, but I believe with the right push they can be exactly what we need."

"You believe?" A council member asked just as another stated, "War isn't won by sentiment, Director."

"It's won be men and women," Amelia answered crossing her arms over her chest.

Fury disagreed, "No, it's won by soldiers."

After making his last statement Fury ended the call and turned to the one person he cared about. Amelia could tell his patience was tested all throughout the meeting as he breathed a heavy sigh. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder to which he sent her a grateful look. She wasn't the only person to really see Fury truly irritated or mad, but she was the only one to live to tell the tale. Amelia could tell by the look in his eye that Fury wasn't going to stop his plan of forming the superhero group.

When she had first been given the rundown of the Avengers initiative she was a little skeptical. Stark's reputation of pissing people off and Banner's reaction to being pissed off wasn't a good combination. Plus the adding of a super soldier who was trained to work with other soldiers and not superheroes seemed like a bad call. She was also pissed that Fury hadn't told her everything about the initiative because clearly there was a phase 2.

"Mind telling me what 'phase 2' is?" Amelia asked with an annoyed look. "You seemed to have left that little detail out on the flight back."

"Something that you are not allowed to know just yet." He replied with a look that said drop it.

Of course, it was rare when she listened to what he wanted, "But-"

"I'm assigning you to recruit the Captain." Fury interrupted as he typed something into his pad.

Fury's blunt orders were like a slap to the face. Although Amelia wasn't physically present for when Rogers had woken up, she had been on babysitting duty. She felt bad for the man out of time, but she knew that it probably wasn't sympathy he wanted. When she thought back to all the soldiers she knew the only thing that truly stands out as something they want is for someone to listen and not try to relate to what they're going through.

"You can't be serious." She shot back.

"Do I look like I'm kidding Nilson?" He asked sharply.

Amelia instantly knew from his tone of voice that this was an argument she wasn't going to win, "When do I leave?"

"Now."

The drive to where Captain America was currently located was not too far from Headquarters, so her good friend Indra offered to drive. The pair sat in the black SUV in content silence as Amelia watched the buildings fly past. Indra had some Jazz music playing through the radio as Amelia closed her eyes.

"Are you ready to meet Cap?" Indra asked as she glanced over at the brunette.

"Are you sad you have to miss him?" Amelia countered making Indra sigh.

"Why did I have to get stuck helping Coulson with Stark?" She asked.

"Because your the only person who can stand to be around his annoying ass," The brunette replied turning to face her.

Indra Hernandez had been a good friend since Amelia joined S.H.I.E.L.D six years ago. The pair met when Amelia was desperate for someone to watch a Disney movie with her and Indra was an avid fan herself. She was a level five agent, but her friendship with the Disney lover seemed to get her some good opportunities to improve her skills. Indra was most familiar with a spear, but she wasn't half bad at a gun. She just had a problem with keeping her hands steady when she pulled the trigger. Over the years, Indra was mostly a translator and a valuable asset out in the field. However, a bomb two years ago set her down a path of darkness and now she was struggling to get over PTSD.

"You could give him a run for his money Amy." She tried.

"I'm not switching assignments, Indra." Amelia shut her down as she took a quick nap before arriving at the gym.

Amelia stood outside the gym knowing full well that Captain America was inside working up a storm. She was both excited and nervous to finally meet the man of legend. Indra had practically tackled every other girl at headquarters just to drop her off at the gym, but it wasn't for a silly crush. The translator was more worried about the brunette being stuck with a fangirl. Coulson had practically died from fangirling when Amelia told him that she would be the one to bring the soldier in. He kept saying how he was the 'key to everything' and that 'she would like him'.

Amelia couldn't help but shake her head at the last bit. She was never really lucky in the dating department. The agent had a few boyfriends during high school, but nothing serious. Over a year ago she had decided to devote herself fully to work and to pay less attention to the men around her. It saved her time and heartache. Plus, it would have been hard to bring him home to meet the family. The girl only had one living relative, her grandfather in Germany and the last time she saw him was over three years ago.

The secret agent straightened her blouse before taking a step forward and placing her hand on the handle. The metal felt cool against her skin as she opened the door. Amelia was instantly hit with the smell of unwashed machines, sweat, and testosterone. She crinkled her nose at the smell before sighing and walking forward. It took the agent only two seconds to locate her target. He was the only one in the gym.

His broad back was facing Amelia as he punched the living daylights out of a bag. She let out a quiet gasp when he let out a strangled cry punching the bag open, off its chain, and spilling the sand inside. The brunette felt overcome with sympathy for the man as he stood up, breathing hard, as he lets out 70 years of repressed feelings. The guy needed a vacation, not a war zone. Amelia watched as the man walked over to pick up another punching bag, which she now realized there were multiple laid out on the floor. It didn't take him long until he was right back at it.

Amelia stepped forward and clear her throat before speaking, "Trouble sleeping or forgetting?"

Her voice must have startled him because he whipped around to stare at the owner of the voice. Amelia took this moment to truly look at him. He was handsome with blue eyes and a chiseled face. His body was nothing short of impeccable as his abs shone through the thin white shirt he was wearing. When his eyes caught her own she instantly looked down a blush creeping its way onto her cheeks, she had been caught staring.

"I slept for seventy years, ma'am. I think I've had my fill." Captain America replied, breaking the awkward silence. "And you are?"

"I'm sorry for not properly introducing myself." Amelia apologized before giving him a gentle smile. "My name is Amelia Nilson."

Steve stuck out his hand and offered a charming smile, "Steve Rogers, but call me Steve."

Amelia took his hand in a firm grip and shook it, "It's nice to meet you, Steve."

"You as well Amelia."

They stood like that for what seemed like a while with her hand in his. It wasn't until Amelia looked away from Steve that he let go of her hand. She sent him a gentle smile once again before moving to lean against a pole as he continued his exercise.

"Shouldn't you be out celebrating your return to society? Maybe even seeing the world?" Amelia asked nonchalantly.

Steve stopped punching as if considering her words before he shrugs and walks over to the bench, unraveling the tape off his hands as he sits down, "I went under, the world was at war, I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost."

"I'm sorry I asked-" Amelia began to apologize but was cut off.

"Don't be." Steve places his stuff into his bag. "Why are you here?"

"To work out of course," She replied with a wink.

Steve gave her a confused look, "You're not exactly dressed for it."

"You're not wrong." She laughed before moving to sit beside him, "We've made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently."

Steve's easy demeanor was gone in an instant as he looked at her, "You work for that organization don't you?"

"The bad organization or the good organization?" Amelia replied with a roll of her eyes. "Of course I work for S.H.I.E.L.D."

Steve gave her a confused look, "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure," Amelia replied. "But be forewarned, if you don't want a sarcastic answer, don't ask a stupid one."

"I'll keep that in mind," Steve nodded. "So since I can't ask a stupid question I'll make a statement. You are here with a mission because your boss screwed up."

Amelia raised her eyebrows in surprise before laughing, "You learn fast soldier."

"Trying to get me back in the world?" He asked.

She sighed and began rummaging in her bag for the file Fury gave her, "Trying to save it."

Once Amelia found it she handed Steve the file on the Tesseract, along with the other files on HYDRA'S projects. The soft smile he had only moments ago was gone as he read the information she gave him. Amelia had already looked over the file and she was more than a little bit worried about how all of this will play out.

"Hydra's secret weapon," Steve whispered staring at the picture of the cube.

Amelia nodded, "Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. Fury agrees that this is something the world sorely needs."

"And you don't?" Steve asked.

She shook her head, "I don't believe anyone should have access to that kind of power. The overgrown ice cube will more than likely take more lives than its worth."

Steve seemed impressed by her opinion, "You're one of the first people I have found that has the same viewpoint as me."

"There's always a first for everything," Amelia replied.

"Who took it from you?" Steve asked as he put the files in his gym bag.

"He's called Loki," Amelia answered before shivering at the memory of what he did to Clint. "He's not from around here. There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know."

Steve scoffed, "At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me."

Amelia smirked evilly, "Care to place a bet on that?"

Steve seemed to consider it, "What's the price?"

"Ten bucks says you're wrong." She challenged.

"You're on." Steve laughed.

Amelia just sent him a wink, "Careful who you gamble with Captain. Ladies are a lot more ruthless in this time."

Steve chuckled, "So I'm discovering."

"There's a debriefing package waiting for you back at your apartment," Amelia called as she walked toward the exit.

Steve turned and picked up a punching bag before walking alongside Amelia. For every one of his strides, Amelia had to double hers but she made the effort to keep up. Once they reached the door Steve set down the bag in the proper place before opening the door for her.

Amelia sent Steve a smile, "Thank you."

"No problem," Steve said as he walked over to what appeared to be his mode of transportation.

It didn't surprise her that Steve was a motorcycle guy. It was a Harley-Davidson Street 750 with some custom additions to it. It was actually a pretty nice ride. Amelia was about to walk away before she remembered a question that Fury wanted to know, "Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now? My boss is asking."

Steve turned to look at her and seemed to consider a proper answer, "You should have left it in the ocean."

"I'll pass that on to Fury," Amelia replied before walking in the opposite direction. She had taken maybe a couple of steps before she heard her name being shouted. She turned to see Steve pull up next to her.

"Do you need a ride?" He asked.

"I was just going to get a cab," Amelia answered honestly.

"Allow me to escort you home." Steve offers.

Amelia quickly held her hands up and shook her head, "I don't want to impose. You seem to have your day planned out."

"I insist Amelia." He tried again as he hands out an extra helmet.

"Are you sure?" Amelia asked again. She felt as if she was imposing on what appeared to be a day off.

"Positive." Steve chuckled at her expression.

Amelia could tell that Steve wasn't going to let up anytime soon and sighed, "Okay."

Amelia took the helmet from his hands and placed it on top of her head. It fit surprisingly well. When Amelia asked Steve about it he just said that it was his before he became a super soldier. She only nodded and felt nervous when Steve began revving the engine really loud. It wasn't until she felt Steve grab her hands and wrap them around his waist that she snapped out of it.

"Hold on tight okay? Don't let go." Steve ordered.

"The thought never crossed my mind," Amelia replied before they took off.

Steve decided that taking Amelia home was going to be the last stop of their day together. She first noticed he wasn't listening to her directions when he missed the third turn.

"You're a terrible listener!" She called over the high winds.

"You're a bad navigator!" He chided back.

As they bickered back and forth Steve stopped at a well-known coffee shop in downtown. Amelia could already taste her favorite tea when they entered the building. The place was small with a cozy feeling to it with its red brick and smooth dark wood furniture. It felt almost rustic in nature, but with a modern twist to it.

"Do you know what's good here?" Steve asked as he contemplated the menu.

Amelia sent him a look, "You've never ordered from here before?"

"I have wanted to, but I wasn't sure what was good. So I thought I would ask someone who knew the town. I figured you might know." Steve answered as he scratched the back of his neck.

"I'm flattered that you think I know everything in this town, but haven't you made any friends?" The moment Amelia asked the question she regretted it.

He had a far-off look in his eyes as he stared at the menu. He must have had a hard time adjusting to the people, the technology, and just the modern world in general. He comes from a time where everyone feared war and death. Amelia looked at him with sadness in her eyes as she thought about how he must be feeling out of place and lonely.

"I'm sorry," She whispered as she placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her with those deep blue eyes. "You are still adjusting and I was inconsiderate."

"Don't be sorry Amelia." Steve sighed. "You are right. I haven't made much of an effort to acclimate to where I am now."

"But S.H.I.E.L.D should have at least offered to help you by now," Amelia replied closing her eyes in frustration. "I should have fought harder."

"What do you mean?" Steve looked down at her.

Amelia looked up at him with her brown eyes and felt guilty when she met his blue ones. They were full of confusion. She should have just kept her mouth shut about her involvement when he came out of cryostasis.

Amelia felt her heart beat fast as she ran a hand through her motorcycle hair, "I was there when you woke up."

Steve's eyes immediately recognized her meaning as she continued, "I wanted to help you assimilate back into society. I thought with the help of a companion it would make it easier, but Fury wouldn't listen. I felt like I was fighting a lost cause the more Fury and Coulson seemed to reject my proposal. In the end, I gave up and watched as you were left to fend for yourself."

Amelia couldn't bring herself to look Steve in the eye as she fiddled with her hands. She only stopped fiddling when Steve put his large hand on her small one, "You tried to help me and that in itself makes you a good person."

"Really?" Amelia asked looking up at him.

"Really," Steve replied before looking down at the menu. "Now to just find out what to drink."

Amelia laughed as Steve let go of her hand. She felt surprised when she began to miss the warmth of his hand but quickly pushed it aside as she ordered her drink. Steve didn't seem to care what he got because he asked for the same drink as Amelia. They decided to take their drinks to go and just sit outside to enjoy the scenery. The sky was the perfect shade of blue with fluffy cotton balls flowing across it. Amelia was so mesmerized that she didn't notice Steve waving his hand in her face.

"Earth to Amelia," Steve called.

"Huh?" Amelia mumbled as she looked over at him.

Steve gave her an amused look, "I asked what you do at your job."

"Oh," Amelia said. "Well mostly I fix the tech that my coworkers break, but I'm also asked to go into the field as a decoy sometimes."

Steve's eyebrows furrowed, "Isn't that dangerous? Are you trained?"

Amelia laughed at Steve's questions, "I'm more than capable of handling myself. I just prefer to stay more in the background than I do the front line."

"I see," Steve answered. "Do your parents know about your occupation?"

Amelia looked down at her tea at the mention of her parents. They had died protecting her from some man dressed in an assassin uniform of all black, but she didn't want to get too into detail, "They died when I was very young."

"I'm sorry to hear that Amelia." Steve gave her a nod of understanding. "Do you have any living relatives?"

"My grandfather," Amelia answered. "He is actually a big fan of you."

"That's embarrassing." Steve chuckled.

"Well considering you saved him from being killed you're his hero." Steve's eyes widened in shock. "He was the little boy you saved from the Nazi you were chasing. He was the one that said he could swim."

Steve's eyes widened in recognition, "I remember that little boy."

Amelia let out a small laugh, "He has vintage trading cards of you just like Coulson."

Steve scratched his neck, "There are trading cards?"

"Every little boy's dream," Amelia replied.

After they finished up their drinks Steve took Amelia back to base where Fury and Coulson were waiting for her. As she got off the motorcycle she tried to hand him back his helmet but he held up a hand, "Hold on to it. I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot of you."

Before she could respond he was already driving away. Amelia stared at the helmet in her hands before glancing at the spot where Steve had just been. Had she just been on a date with Captain America?