Chapter 18

The Avengers were an odd group of individuals. Tony Stark who Annie eventually discovered was considered important in the 21st century, mercilessly flirted with Annie in order to annoy Steve. To the delight of Tony it annoyed him intensely, the suggestive tone causing many fights between the two men. Annie would simply roll her eyes or provide a quip that would end the flirtation. None too bothered by the action easily understanding it as Tony just being Tony. He was too much like his father who she now clearly saw Tony's resemblance to.

Annie enjoyed the loud presence of Thor for the short time he remained with them until be returned with his brother to where ever they had come from. Steve and Annie had just learnt to accept the strange occurrences of the time. Questioning all of them would drive the two to insanity.

Annie would dwell in light conversation with Bruce and found the man agreeable but didn't expand the friendship much beyond that. She had discovered his 'condition' from shield and was unsure as to how to approach it. That didn't prevent her from chatting with him, attempting to understand his current project.

Annie's favourite outside of her brother and Clint was Natasha. Clint had spoken of her before they met and had briefly warned her of both his and her assassin origins. Annie deliberated that on their present actions that they were good people, intent on helping others. At first Natasha had been cold and reserved, Annie spent weeks attempting to get the woman to warm up to her through conversations, stories and even resorting to baked goods. But her persistence only lasted so long. The moment she gave up, slouching on the couch in her office after another failed attempt at work, Natasha stuck her head through the now covered door.

Annie had insisted that the window at least be tinted, hoping to avoid another incident where she was confused by simple technology. There was also the issue that glass walls were ridiculous and invasive. She had easily convinced Nick, justifying the change by logically arguing that it was in SHIELD's best interests that her identity was not discovered by her co-workers. For some reason all of the avengers were allowed to know.

Natasha poked her head through the half opened door to witness a defeated Annie. The young woman was warm and energetic; Natasha's impulse to open up to Annie resulted in Natasha becoming cautious of her. As she grew to know Steve she had seen parallels between the siblings in their persistence and fierce protection of those they loved. She trusted Steve and decided it was safe to trust Annie, which was surprisingly easy.

She awkwardly watched Annie who sat deflated on the two seater lounge. The blonde jolted when she noticed the silent assassin at the door. Her eye lit up making the marginally younger woman look somewhat like a hopeful puppy. Her endearing appearance had Natasha releasing a smile grin as she queried, "I assume you haven't seen many movies?"

Annie grinned widely at the red headed assassin, "No I haven't really."

Natasha welcomed herself in, "Well we've got some learning to do."

Using Annie's laptop as a DVD player, which Annie didn't know it could do, the two women watched various movies. Annie decided that work could wait; she had waited long enough to bond with Natasha.

And the two women did just that, they lounged about conversing, Annie asking questions and Natasha tentatively answering them. By the time 4 movies were completed and Annie was expected home Natasha and the younger Rogers were well acquainted and were considered friends. Natasha left swiftly, imagining a motherly Steve worrying about his lost hatchling out in the big world past 6pm. But not before Annie could wrap her in a friendly hug to depart ways.

The Russian smiled to herself reflecting that her decision to befriend Annie was not one she regretted.

It had been almost a year since the event of Loki trying to conquer the earth and the creation of the Avengers. But not particularly needed currently the Avengers mostly lived their separate lives. Clint had disappeared a month after the event, Fury claiming he was on vacation. Thor was in Asgard and Bruce and Tony presently resided in Avengers tower, conducting experiences in their spare time, and they had a lot of it. Steve and Natasha continued to work for SHIELD, Steve's deal with them still standing.

Steve happily noticed that his red headed team mate had grown closer to Annie and had become one of his sister's few friends. It was a relief that Natasha was there for Annie when he was not. The Blonde had almost destroyed a copier the other day when it wouldn't print. Steve was hardly better with technology but Annie had the fault of attacking them when they didn't produce the outcome she desired.

But today was her day off and Steve had finished a mission and was anticipating returning to what he now called home. Steve's neighbour kindly smiled at him as he travelled down the hall to enter his homely apartment. He knew it would be filled with the odour of homemade chicken pie as on Annie's day off she was tasked with making dinner. The siblings both trained in the basic culinary skills by their mother who demanded both girls and boys needed to know how to cook. Annie had a higher success rate than Steve did but Steve had more talent with taste when he did pull off a dish off. Annie's dishes sometimes ending up disappointingly bland or slightly charred. Her lack of natural talent frustrating their mother and cooking teacher constantly in the past.

The ageing green door creaked upon opening and lively 40s music wafted into his ear instead of pie into his nose. His brows rose as he endeavoured to locate the origin of the music. The other possibility for the music that Steve could conjure was that Annie had fallen asleep listening as she did during many tasks.

Instead as he rounded the corner he viewed Annie wrapping bandages around Nick Fury's bleeding chest. A worried crease tensed her features as she bound the wound.

"Finally decided to show up huh?" Nick muttered, hiding a flinch as Annie prodded at another gash.

"Steve can you get me some more paper towel? And some small Band-Aids," Annie called.

Annie's mind was flicking through all of the information her mother had taught or showed her while she was a nurse. Steve on the other hand hadn't paid that much attention. "I'm not sure the band aids are going to help much," he confessed.

"Steve they're for his face. I have enough bandages here for the rest of the larger cuts," Annie informed hastily as she proceeded to wind the clean white cotton over the dark skin that was damaged with blood and cuts.

Steve quickly returned with the asked for items and questioned, "What happened."

"My wife leaving me did," he responded agitatedly but there was falseness in his tone.

Annie looked up at him curiously from her kneeling position. She hadn't asked him the circumstances for his injuries but simply tended to them, worried he would lose too much blood.

Nick proceeded to recover his mobile out of his pocket and begin taping on the screened keys. Shortly he twisted the phone around so the Rogers could see it. The bright little screen reading 'SHEILD compromised- eyes everywhere.'

Annie felt unsettled that SHIELD was recording their conversations; there was some relief in the fact that they obviously didn't have cameras in the apartment. Annie's eyes began searching the room attempting to locate the objects that have invaded her home and privacy.

Nick continued, "I was wondering if I could stay with you until we work things out." He was continuing with his troubled marriage story and Annie wondered if he had a wife. She hadn't heard anything about it before but Fury seemed like the type of person to not tell anyone.

Fury motioned Steve over and fished another object out of his pocket and placed it in his hand. From what Annie could see it was one of those little storage things you plug into computers. She searched for the word… USB.

Before either of the Rogers had a chance to inquire about it a bullet zipped through the window and dig into Nick Fury's chest, the one Annie had just finished bandaging. Her head whipped around to the window to locate the shooter. She was only able to catch a glimpse of him, dark hair, gleaming silver armour, black leather and a hidden face. He was running within a second.

"Annie are you hit!?" Steve shouted.

"No, but Fury has been shot in the chest. I don't know for sure but it could have hit a vital organ," Annie informed hurriedly.

Steve looked between the window and Fury, obviously contemplating whether to help Fury or pursue his attacker. Annie decided to make the decision for him, "Go after him, I'll look after Fury."

With encouragement Steve recovered his SHIELD and projected himself out the window and onto the roof of the parallel building with admirable speed. Annie sighed at the broken window and the leaking wound before she rushed to cover it.

In the process Fury firmly griped one of her hands and muttered lowly, "the Winter Soldier, HYDRA." Annie was sure he was beginning to lose consciousness and desperately worked to keep him awake. But her effects were fruitless, he had lost too much blood and she wasn't a doctor.

Within minutes the ambulance arrived and collected Nick Fury. One of them mercilessly drilling Annie with questions as to how he got shot, why he was here. Questions that Annie could not answer. Soon Steve arrived, unsuccessful in his pursuit and they travelled to the hospital but Nick did not pull through.

The Winter Soldier had completed his mission to assassinate the dark man with the eyepatch. His name had not been given to him. The mission had been a success, the man could not possibly survive the shot to his lung but he was still unsettled. The man had been difficult to kill, sneaking away from the Winter Soldier's first attempt. He had tracked him to a modest apartment building and strategically placed himself on the roof of the opposite building.

There had been other people in the room but they were not his targets. One was a tall man that could be considered a threat but the other was a woman of average size that tended to the target's previous wounds. The Winter Soldier could have killed them, deemed it necessary to completing the mission. But he didn't. For once he couldn't. He was unsure as to why until the woman had turned her head after the shot.

He had only seen her for a moment but it was enough to leave an effect. He was terrified as he witnessed her face, so similar to the blurred image he held onto in his mind. But it couldn't be her. He reserved himself to forget about the golden haired woman, but he struggled to.

Annie sat in her office attempting to distract herself from Nick Fury's death. She wasn't particular close to the mysterious man nor did she trust him but she was so closely connected to the events of his death that it haunted her. But as melancholy as she was about the unfortunate events, she had felt worse loss.

Her internet was frozen, which Annie found strange for such a technologically advanced organisation as SHIELD. But she stared at the tableau screen as she poked her cheek with the end of a pencil. She absently watched the motion in the reflection of the computer.

A faint tune began to buzz which caused Annie to squint in confusion. She mentally slapped herself she realised the origin of the sound was the mobile in her pocket. She answered with boldly, knowing it would be Steve, Natasha or Clint. The last the least likely as to his current secret location.

"Hello?" Annie spoke into the microphone of the compact device.

"Annie!" Steve called, his breathing rugged and strained from physical exertion. This vexed Annie, there were few activities that could take a toll on Steve's enhanced endurance and Steve was not at the gym to Annie's knowledge.

He didn't offer her time to respond but blurted out the distressed words, "You need to get out of there now. Don't go home, just get away from SHIELD. I'll tell you where to meet me later."

The other end of the line abruptly cut off, her connection to Steve severed.

The call was odd and provoked many questions but Annie trusted Steve whole heartedly so she stood shoving her phone into her pocket. She travelled out of the building as fast as she could without appearing suspicious.

She had safely made it out of the building, fibbing to the guard at the exit that she was taking an early lunch. She concocted theories as to why Steve had demanded she clear the building. Many involved an internal or external threat. Her self-inquiry was interrupted by a light ping noise that sounded from her phone.

Examining the screen which was deemed almost futile in the natural sunlight that cascaded about the street she strode along. It was discreet and blunt, only providing a warning of SHEILD and an address. It was a significant distance from her current position and decided it was best to begin the journey sooner rather than later. As she travelled to the unknown safehouse she mutely mourned the loss of her 4 slot toaster.

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