Alice took a sip of her coffee and set the large cup back down on her desk, in front of her was a floor to ceiling window that looked over the green woodland expanse that surrounded the Avengers Facility. Sitting back she let her head loll back and closing her eyes she let out a long slow breath, over the years her friends and family had relied on her to write college applications, wedding toasts, job applications and dating profiles. Over the years Alice had learned the importance of saying no, and usually politely declined. However if someone asked her to write an obituary or eulogy she always said yes. When it came to composing or honing a friend's words of remembrance, she was always ready to lend a helping hand.

She knew first-hand how difficult it could be to think clearly when grieving, and she imagined that, if you were not used to writing every day, the task of crafting an obit could be mighty daunting! But her interest in eulogistic composition also stemmed from her fascination with the fact that in the end, we all became stories. Nothing more made her realise that than Steve Rogers. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, sure, but also: words to words. Writing didn't get more meaningful than that, and there was nothing quite so moving as an obituary that truly captured and honoured the spirit of the deceased. And she knew more than most, as in the case of Steve.

"What are you thinking?" came Steve's words from behind her as his strong arms enveloped her from behind.

"How a nice cup of tea fixes everything," she answered, not really her true thoughts but enough for the moment.

"Can I make you a cup?" he asked as she looked up and saw him looking down at her, trying not to smirk she shook her head and said no thank you. He was a man of many talents but domestic goddess? No, I'm afraid there were some things even Captain America couldn't do. Letting him follow her to the kitchen Alice set the kettle on the hob and threw tea bags into the pot. They had a ritual, Steve and Alice. Whomever came home last would sit and listen whilst the other talked about their day, some days it was a sentence; 'I'm tired,' other days it would be dark and late before they had stopped discussing whatever was on their minds. When Alice saw the dark circles under his eyes or the even darker light in his eyes she would smile and shrug her shoulders, tell him her day was easy and carefree whether that was the case or not. She wasn't sure if he knew that's what she did but he seemed to appreciate it nevertheless. She enjoyed it the most when he was passionate or angry, he became animated and his brows would crease. He would stand from where he had been perched against a kitchen stool and begin walking to and fro, throwing his arms in the air and asking rhetorical questions. She'd act like she knew what he was talking about and he'd nod vehemently and agree with her totally. She'd get angry and walk away when he pretended everything was fine or tell her she wouldn't understand, she'd shout at him and tell him to leave her alone when on the rare occasion he'd sulk. She hated sulking. He was stubborn and she was too, either one of them at some point later in the evening would very casually sidle up to the other and ask a benign question, their way of saying sorry.

Steve tried not be overbearing and aloof, yes, he was capable of both. Being both overprotective of Alice and at the same time giving her too much space. She would lace her fingers up his arm as he read and give him a look that was akin to a puppy wanting to play, she'd tell him 'Oh no, really I have things to do!' and then stand near him until he dropped his book and asked if she would like him to help her with something. She liked helping him with things.

"He's a changed man Alice, his behaviour has become increasingly erratic, add to this the fact that he's still dealing with the fallout of Stark Industries' time as the world's foremost weapons manufacturer." Alice nodded as she poured herself a cup of tea. "His name is stamped on all of it," Steve continued.

"You believe Stark's legacy is one of death and destruction?" she asked and Steve nodded slowly.

"He's determined to change that, no matter the cost." Alice didn't say anything, there was nothing to be said. "Stark seems to have left the Avengers Initiative for good, placing the team squarely in my hands."

"And what are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know?" he answered honestly.

"What about this, this Act?"

"The Superhuman Registration Act? I'm not sure," Alice sat beside him and squeezed his hand.

"But you're a soldier, you're going to live and die on the battlefield aren't you, fighting for what you believe in?" Steve smiled sadly, he sometimes wished she didn't know him as well as she did.

"I have no other choice," he whispered.

"I know you don't," she said.

"Is that okay?" Alice looked at him for the longest time.

Crossing her legs and pulling her cardigan tighter around her waist Alice smiled at the woman sat opposite her.

"Tell me more about your Husband Mrs Jarman," she asked quietly as the woman sat opposite her wiped her nose delicately with a tissue. "He worked too hard, that's all he ever seemed to do. I was always telling him that…" the lady laughed sadly as she offered Alice a biscuit.

"Thank you," she said as she took the shortbread.

"Are you married?" Alice shook her head no. "A fella?" Alice nodded. "What does he do?" Alice stared open mouthed.

"He's err… he's in the military." The woman nodded knowingly and grimaced.

"A tough life, for you and him I imagine."

"We balance it well," Alice answered quietly.

"Frank took over, our lives I mean. For the longest time I was happy for that to be the case and it's only now, now that he's gone that I realise I was angry, angry at him for not letting me live my own life. His life took over everything."

"But you wouldn't change anything?" Alice asked unconsciously. Mrs Jarman shrugged her shoulders, taking a sip of her tea she smiled warmly at Alice. "So, family, tell me what he was like…"

"Do you miss him?" Alice asked Natasha referring to Bruce as they ran round the outskirts of the facility. Natasha didn't answer and Alice laughed. "I like these chats we have Nat!" she joked and Natasha couldn't help but smirk. The pair came to a stop as Natasha coolly took a drink of water from her bottle Alice doubled over and tried to catch her breath. "Will Bruce come back?" she asked and Natasha's eyes darkened.

"I don't know?" she whispered. Alice made a mental note never to ask her again, she'd seen enough grief on people's faces to know when somebody's heart was broken.

Lagos – Present Day

Wanda Maximoff added sugar to her cup and stirred it. Looking around she listened to Steve's voice in her earpiece.

"All right, what do you see?" he asked.

"Standard beat cops, small station. Quiet street, it's a good target." She replied.

"There's an ATM in the south corner, which means . . ."

"Cameras," Wanda answered

"Both cross streets are one way," Steve continued as Wanda's eyes darted around.

"So, compromised escape routes." Steve nodded; glad she was noticing the things he was pointing out to her.

"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen, he isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?" he asked.

"Yeah, the red one? It's cute." Natasha, who was sat two tables away from Wanda, put her finger to her ear.

"It's also bulletproof, which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us," she told the others.

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda said smoothly.

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature," Natasha replied, uncertain that the young woman was ready for a mission this size.

"Eyes on target, folks, this is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him." Steve narrowed his eyes and hoped the others were ready.

Suddenly Steve caught sight of a garbage truck pushing its way through the traffic, telling Sam to tag it he waited impatiently. When the answer came back it was loaded and the driver was armed Steve knew exactly what the plan was.

"It's a battering ram," Natasha said.

"Go now," Steve ordered.

"What?" Wanda asked shocked.

"He's not hitting the police," as the man sitting in the guard station looked up his eyes widened as the garbage truck came careening towards the gate. Watching the driver jump out and the truck slamming into the gateway he dived out the way just in time. Two trucks rushed into the compound through the newly made entrance, soldiers in black armor emerged from the trucks, firing their rifles around the courtyard. As gas canisters were thrown into the building, soldiers wearing gas masks made their way in. Steve took out several of the soldiers before looking round for the others. "Body armor, AR-15's. I make seven hostiles," he shouted into his radio. Sam flew up to the rooftop, spinning and using his wings to block gunfire he took out two more soldiers.

"I make 5," he said as Wanda arrived in the courtyard, blocking fire with her powers. Sam's drone scanned the inside of the building as Steve waited edgily.

"Rumlow's on the third floor," Sam told Steve quickly.

"Wanda, just like we practiced." Steve said quickly.

"What about the gas?" Wanda asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Get it out," Steve answered confidently as Wanda used her powers to lift Steve up and through the window. Grabbing a soldier and pulling off their gas mask he quickly hid behind a pillar. Throwing his shield it bounced off a soldier and back to Steve, running into the room he saw the vial was missing.

"Rumlow has a biological weapon," Steve said quickly into his radio.

"I'm on it," Natasha replied as she jumped off her motorcycle before it skidded towards a soldier. Taking out soldiers one by one, she didn't see Rumlow come up behind her and grab her collar, dragging her onto an armored vehicle. Electrocuting him, she stared at him in horror when he simply smiled.

"I don't work like that no more," he told her smugly. Throwing her through the roof hatch of the vehicle, he dropped in a grenade and shut the hatch. "Fire in the hole," he shouted as Natasha quickly took out the soldiers inside, grabbing one to shield herself from the grenade the doors blew open as she was thrown out. Steve ran out onto the balcony just in time to see Rumlow.

"Sam he's in an AFV heading north," Steve said as he ran across cars, spotting a vest in the middle of a crowd he took a deep breath. "They ditched their gear, it's a shell game now. One of them has the payload," out of nowhere a bomb stuck on his shield. Throwing it in the air Steve watched as the bomb detonated safely away from the citizens but was caught off guard when Rumlow came up behind him and punched him in the back.

"There you are, you son of a bitch. I've been waiting for this!" Rumlow pinned Steve to a building and extended a blade from one of his gauntlets. "This is for dropping a building on my face," he said as Steve grabbed Rumlow's arm and pulled the gauntlet off. As the pair fought and Steve finally brought Rumlow to his knees, Rumlow removed his mask revealing his scarred face. "I think I look pretty good, all things considered." He said angrily but Steve ignored him.

"Who's your buyer?" he asked angrily.

"You know, he knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky." Rumlow answered smugly.

"What did you say?" Steve said through gritted teeth.

"He remembered you, I was there. He got all weepy about it until they put his brain back in a blender. He wanted you to know something, he said to me, "Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go, you gotta go" and you're coming with me." Activating his bomb vest Steve flinched as Rumlow's armor ignited but Wanda, her hands outstretched held the blast contained around Rumlow who was grimacing in agony. Lifting him into the air she felt herself losing control, with fear in her eyes she watched helpless as the explosion blossomed. Both Wanda and Steve watched on as entire floors of a nearby office building went up in flames.

"Oh my..." Steve didn't know what to say as he stared up at the devastation. "Sam…we need…Fire and Rescue…on the south side of the building! We gotta get up there!"

"I let them all down Alice, they weren't ready. She, Wanda wasn't ready…" Alice let her fingers comb through Steve's hair as his head rested on her chest. She watched as her breathing made his head rise and fall and felt the tickle of his own breath against her stomach.

"You weren't to know that Steve, you did as much as you can. You can't account for every scenario…"

"I should have done, I should have known…" he said interrupting her and then apologising. Turning his head he looked up at Alice whose own head was resting gently in the large white, soft bed pillow, her hair rumpled and falling over her eyes. Grabbing her glasses off the night stand and pushing them up her nose she gave him a sympathetic smile and ran her finger down his nose. "This changes everything doesn't it?" she whispered and Steve simply closed his eyes in response. "You need to speak to her, tell her it wasn't her fault. That is too much guilt for one person to bear Steve." Pulling himself up so that his face was hovering over hers he smiled when she kissed his nose. "Are you alright?" she asked and he nodded. Steve wrapped his arms around her and turning over, pulled her onto him. Holding her cheeks with his hands Steve kissed her lovingly.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?" Alice asked as she flung her glasses off and nuzzled into his neck, her head fitting perfectly into his strong shoulder.

"For everything," he answered.

Wanda sat on her bed, watching the news on her TV she listened to the News Anchor intently.

"What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeria…" When the TV blinked to black, she turned to see Steve stood in the doorway.

"It's my fault," she said quietly.

"That's not true," he replied.

"Turn the TV back on, they're being very specific." She said dismissively as Steve walked over to her.

"I should've clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it, Rumlow said "Bucky" and all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn." Sitting beside her Wanda could see the pain in his eyes. "And people died, it's on me." He added.

"It's on both of us," Wanda swallowed the lump in her throat.

"This job, we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody but if we can't find a way to live with that, next time… maybe nobody gets saved." Wanda was about to reply when Vision materialised through the wall.

"Vis! We talked about this," she said.

"Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that…" Stopping Vision looked to Steve. "Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving." He said.

"Thank you, we'll be right down." Steve answered.

"I'll… use the door. Oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest."

"We know who it is?" Steve asked.

"The Secretary of State."