Chapter Seventy Three

"When Fury assigned me to this mission, I knew that nothing good would come out of it," Ada sighed as she picked apart at the salad sitting in front of her. Natasha sat across from her with a dish of her own, not looking the least bit surprised with her complaint. "I don't know why I ever agreed to it."

"Because it was the right thing to do," the redhead reminded her with a pointed look. Ada just scowled when she noticed that Natasha had read her like an open book. They had agreed to meet for lunch after the disaster in Director Fury's office, and now Ada was beginning to regret her decision. "No one ever said it would be easy, regardless of whether or not it is the right thing to do."

Ada swallowed hard when she pictured Steve's reaction to finding out that she had been tasked to working with Natasha. She hadn't felt the courage to approach him since then. She knew that a confrontation was long overdue, but she had no idea how to go about it. The truth was, she had been hoping that Natasha would offer some advice.

Since they returned from the Treskellion, she'd asked Sharon Carter if she could stay with the other woman until the mess revolving around her and Steve was resolved. The woman had been genuinely surprised when she explained the situation, but she reluctantly agreed to let her share the apartment since she was living across from them. Because she was assigned to keeping an eye on both of them, it made her job slightly easier.

Maybe I should've called Pepper for some advice on how to handle the situation, she thought.

The problem with calling Pepper was that she would inevitably tell Tony that something was up. And Ada wasn't in any hurry to explain to Tony what was going on. He would more than likely overreact over the fact that Steve had pushed her away. Tony had always been overprotective of her. And while she appreciated that aspect of their relationship, there were times when she wished he knew when to back down.

The Super Soldier had every right not to trust her after what had happened.

There were times when she wished she would have told him sooner. But she knew that would have ended in disaster, especially as their missions escalated. Steve would have constantly found other reasons to worry, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't have taken them as seriously if he knew what they were really up against.

"You make the whole 'living a double life' thing look too easy," she muttered crossly. "I'm not even sure where to begin with explaining why I accepted Fury's deal."

Natasha pursed her lips together as she thought of how to reassure Ada without making things worse. It was never easy having to live double lives. Ada was only just beginning to figure that out, and she suddenly wished that she could turn back the clock to where she'd agreed with Fury's deal.

"If he really does care about you, which I believe he does, he'll get over it eventually," the redhead reassured her after getting up to stretch. Ada looked at her doubtfully. She wasn't sure if it was that easy. Steve made it perfectly clear just how angry he was when he found out she and Natasha were on their own missions. "Just give him time. Once he figures out that you were only doing what you believed was right, he'll understand."

If only it was that easy, she thought bitterly.

Once Natasha left, her mind drifted back to the way Steve had reacted to Fury's revelation. It hadn't been easy keeping her mouth shut the whole time. And there had been a time when she would have done anything to undermine Fury's authority. But after everything that happened, she knew now wasn't the time to do that.

She was about to follow the direction Natasha went when she felt her phone vibrate. Ada rose an eyebrow as she pulled out, frowning when she saw who the sender of the text message was. They hadn't said a word to one another since the other day. Steve had been right not to trust her when she first agreed to work alongside Natasha and the rest of the STRIKE team. But it still hurt knowing that all the trust they had been working on was shattered the moment Fury explained everything.

'Can we talk? Meet me at the Smithsonian, new Captain America Exhibit. It'll be easier without anyone watching us, — Steve.'

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip and stared at the message for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond to that. Part of her knew where the conversation would lead, and she was terrified of facing it. But another part of her knew that ignoring the problem at hand wouldn't get her anywhere.

She let out a sigh, stuffing her phone back into her pocket as she headed for the door. Regardless of whether or not she wanted to face him again, she needed to get out before she went stir-crazy from hiding in the apartment. She just hoped that Steve was in a listening mood when she arrived, otherwise she wasn't sure what the future had in store for either of them.

…

"You wanted to talk."

Ada greeted Steve with as much curtness as he had when he left the other day. His blue eyes never left her as she reached the meeting point outside the exhibit he wanted to explore, and he couldn't help but flinch. She had only been doing her job at the time of their mission. And she hated having to lie to him all the time, especially when she knew he'd done nothing to deserve it. The worst part was, they had been avoiding each other since yesterday. Sharon had been kind enough to let her stay at her place until whatever was going on between them was sorted out, but Ada suspected things would only get worse from there.

"I uh, I'm honestly not even sure where to begin from here," he admitted with a sheepish look.

He finally tore his eyes away and looked back at the entrance of the exhibit, not missing how many people had already wandered in. Ada rose an eyebrow when she finally noticed he was wearing a baseball cap in order to disguise himself.

"Well, you wouldn't be the only one feeling that way," she rolled her eyes knowingly. She let out another sigh as she gestured for them to go inside before things could get anymore awkward than they were. "I know what I did was wrong, and I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to trust me again after that fiasco."

"A symbol to the nation. A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery and sacrifice." Ada listened to the narrator as she and Steve walked over to a cut-out image of himself dressed in his old Captain America uniform. She hadn't missed the guilt sweeping across his eyes when she said that, but he didn't get the chance to say anything when they walked further in. "Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare. One that would transform him into the world's first super soldier."

"If it felt so wrong of you to go behind my back and lie to me, then why go through with it?" Steve finally cut through the icy tension between them.

A shiver of unease swept through Ada as she studied a few memorials lining the wall. Like him, she didn't even know where to begin. Her mind began churning with anxiety as she thought of what Fury had told her before any of this mess started. He had been right about many things, but that left her wondering who she could or couldn't trust.

"Because I wasn't really given a choice in the matter," she snapped through gritted teeth.

They'd already walked past a hologram of what appeared to be Steve before and after the Super Soldier Serum. The narrator explained once again what the cutouts were designed for. She watched curiously as they walked past numerous Howling Commando memorabilia, hoping to keep herself distracted from the actual conversation going on between them.

"In this rare footage, everyone's favorite warrior, Captain America…"

Ada suddenly felt self-conscious when he threw her a piercing look. They kept walking past the exhibit, and Ada held back a sigh of frustration as she thought of how to answer him. Soon they reached an exhibit that displayed his motorcycle that was used during some of the Howling Commando raids.

"It was that or get my ass fired from the agency, and I can't exactly think of a better job… I refuse to work for my father."

She added the last part with a snort of defiance, knowing full-well that the press would have had a field day if she agreed to carry on Tony's legacy. Hell, half of the world did expect her to follow in his footsteps. But she quickly learned that he and Pepper eventually wanted to have kids of their own. It wouldn't be fair to get in the way of kids related to them by blood, especially knowing that she was Tony's adopted daughter.

People compare me enough to my father as it is because he adopted me, she nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance. The press would have had a field day if she chose to work for his company, which was exactly why she wanted to avoid it at all costs.

"Battle tested," the narrator went on, "Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission, taking down Hydra, the Nazi rogue science division."

A shiver of unease swept through her at the mention of Hydra. She'd heard horror stories of Hydra throughout the agency. Those who knew about it refused to talk about it. But she knew that it was an unavoidable part of their past. And she dreaded the day when another agency like Hydra showed up again.

"Ada, you always have a choice, regardless of whether or not it's the right choice," Steve reminded her with a pointed look. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly reached out for her shoulder, giving it a gentle yet firm squeeze. "What aren't you telling me?"

Ada flinched when his voice grew softer this time. She was tempted to tell him everything right then and there. She really wanted to. But her thoughts drifted back to what Fury said about not trusting anyone. Natasha had said the same thing, but with more firmness. The redhead had experienced more shit in the world than most people her age should, and Ada suspected she was speaking from said experience.

"I can't explain it," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

Steve's brows furrowed together when he realized what she was implying.

"You can't? Or you won't?" he pressed.

"Steve, not everything is in black and white," she snapped. She finally glared at him as she noticed how tense he was. "Look, the only reason I agreed with Fury's plan was because I knew he was right… there's been too many shady deals going on behind closed doors, just like at Stark Industries when Obadiah was in power. And I can't shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. Steve's shoulders finally sagged as he realized what she was implying. She'd seen the records when Natasha saved the files onto a flash drive. She knew something was up the moment Fury asked her to work alongside Natasha of all people.

For a while, he didn't say anything as they headed towards the next exhibit. This one was dedicated entirely to the Howling Commandos, some of the bravest men Ada had ever seen. The Howling Commandos had worked alongside Steve to stop Hydra at all costs, regardless of whether or not their lives were on the line.

Ada frowned as she studied the memorial that was also dedicated to all of the lives that were lost during the war. One name in particular stood out to her. A cutout posture of a handsome looking young man standing beside Steve was placed on one side of the room. Then there was a singular cutout posture with the same young man, who seemed to stand out above all the others. Her frown deepened when she noticed Steve staring at the cutout longer than all the others.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were inseparable, on the school yard and on the battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to have given his life in service to his country."

That explains the odd look, she thought after realizing who the man in question was.

She couldn't imagine what it was like to lose a friend like that. She'd watched countless people die in her dreams, and while working at the agency. But she had never been close enough to actually call them her friend. Sure, she was close to other agents like Jimmy, Natasha and Clint. But she could hardly consider them brother or sister like Steve regarded Bucky.

She suddenly reached over and took hold of his hand, giving it a light squeeze when she realized why he couldn't look away.

"Steve…"

Before she could finish, Steve walked away without another word. Ada nearly rolled her eyes at that. Though, she wasn't too surprised. He'd acted similarly when Coulson died, pretending everything was okay when in reality, it wasn't. It was at that point that she decided all men were the same. They hated admitting when they felt any amount of pain, regardless of how much it effected everyone else around them.

She let out a heavy sigh and followed him wordlessly. Once they reached a small movie theater, Ada knew that his attention was entirely drawn towards the exhibit. Especially as a pretty looking woman who looked entirely familiar appeared on the screen.

"That was… a difficult year." Peggy Carter. Ada rose an eyebrow as the woman who changed the world spoke to them, almost as if she was standing right in front of them. From the stories she'd gathered, Steve and Peggy had been very close before he crash-landed in Antarctica. She couldn't help but glance at him warily when she noticed he was staring at the screen longingly. "A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve… Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men, including the man who would… who would become my husband as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."

"She's the one who founded SHIELD, along with Howard," Ada murmured thoughtfully. She'd never met Peggy in person. Sharon always talked about her mother fondly, though she never went into details over how Peggy and Howard Stark worked together in finding the agency. The real agency, anyways. "I heard she's still alive."

Steve's brows furrowed together in surprise when he realized what she meant by that. From what Sharon told her, Peggy was being kept at one of the hospitals in Washington D.C. She suddenly found herself wondering how much he'd been told about Peggy's involvement with SHIELD and where she was being kept now.

"Have you ever met her?" he asked curiously.

Anything was better than facing the tension they endured earlier. Even he had to admit that he was getting tired of it, especially when he knew it wasn't entirely her fault. So he tried to make some common ground between them.

"Not in person, but… Coulson always used to tell stories about her, and how the two of you worked together a lot," she explained with a shrug. "Like I said, he was a big fan of Captain America."

The Super Soldier almost smiled at a fond memory of himself with Peggy back in the past. He never did get that first dance with her all those years ago, and the guilt from earlier suddenly came rushing back. Ada's heart wrenched with pity as she realized how close they must have been at the time.

Imagine waking up in an entirely different time period, and losing everyone you care about, she thought.

She often found herself wondering if she would have met the same fate had her mother chosen to send her to a different time period. There were times when she questioned why her mother sent her to this world, and what made it any different from any others. She was tempted to ask her mother when she quickly pushed the thought aside.

It had been months since she last spoke with her mother. Nadia had been silent since she was brought back from Europe, and Ada wasn't in any hurry to face her again. Not after the way her mother tried killing everyone, including the team, at the compound.

"What you said about that feeling where everything could go wrong… how long has that been happening?" he suddenly asked.

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip and glanced at him anxiously. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that it had been ever since she joined the agency. Tony used to drill it into the back of her head that SHIELD was nothing but bad news. And ever since Coulson came back to life and explained to her that she was partly responsible for his miraculous survival, she wasn't sure who to trust.

"I'm not sure whether or not it's safe to answer that question," she muttered as they left the main exhibit. "At least not until I have enough intel to know whether or not my gut feeling is right."

Steve looked at her thoughtfully as he understood what she meant by that. Or, at least he tried to understand. There was still too much going on for him to make sense of it all. He desperately wanted to know what was really bothering her, but something held him back. The look written across her face suggested so much more than just a 'gut feeling', and he had a feeling it would come back to haunt them all.

AN: I'm not overly satisfied with how this chapter turned out, and I'll probably end up running edits here and there. But I felt as if I had to post something since it's a few days before Christmas for those who celebrate it. Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter, and a big thanks to Seaglassheart for reviewing!