The four walked through the mall, Natasha and Steve leading while Melody and Clint tailed. They needed people on the front and the back just in case anyone had tracked them down here. Melody turned to look behind her, before looking straight ahead again. "You're being a little obvious, don't you think?"

Natasha and Steve were talking, not paying attention to Clint and Melody's conversation at all. "I've gone undercover before."

"But not from SHIELD." Clint whispered to her.

Melody wanted to almost stop walking and get into an argument with him right in the middle of the square. She was going to contain herself though. She wasn't going to start this. "Neither have you."

"I have more practice in this than you."

"Clint," Melody sighed out while shutting her eyes. "The more you talk, the more you're getting away from marriage."

Clint stopped walking as Melody ducked into the Apple store with Steve and Natasha. He wanted to scream, curse everyone and anything that had ever come between him and Melody. He loved her, that part would never change. He would always love her, but now, she was just becoming a different person. Yes, he shouldn't have lied, but he didn't realize that one action could send their relationship tumbling down.

When Clint got in the store, he was trudging, Melody looking over to him as Natasha handed her the flash drive. She felt bad for what she said, but she felt like it needed to be said. He couldn't keep things from her and then command her to do things. When she thought back on it, though, she was keeping something from him to. She hadn't told him she was dying. Granted, she hadn't told anyone, but shouldn't her soul mate be the first one she told?

She looked to Clint as he moved to the group, giving him a light squeeze on the arm, making him turn to her. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Clint's eyebrows furrowed. Why was she apologizing? It was him who had started this in the first place. "I love you."

Clint continued to give her a confused face, Steve and Natasha just looking back and forth between the two, wondering just what the hell they missed back there. "I love you." Clint reassured with a slight smile.

She gave his arm another squeeze before looking back to the computer they had chosen to work on. "Alright," Melody addressed to everyone while holding up the stick. "This drive has a level six homing program, so as soon as we boot up, SHIELD will know exactly where we are."

"How much time do we have?" Steve asked while surveying the shop.

"Nine minutes from…" Natasha waited until Melody dramatically plugged in the drive. "Now."

Steve gave her a slight eye roll before looking back to the computer, everyone gathering around her. Melody began working her magic, the only person really following being Natasha. Both men were completely lost. "Fury and…" Melody trailed off a little bit, still finding that pill hard to swallow. "My mom were right about the ship. Someone's trying to hide something."

"What do you mean?" Clint asked, leaning forward.

"The drive is protected by some kind of AI." She explained, the files continuing to lock up on her. "It keeps renewing itself to counter my commands."

"Can you override it?" Natasha asked, leaning in even closer. Melody looked around at the people. The people walking by probably thought they were the sketchiest people in here. They were all huddled around one computer, talking in hushed whispers. If that didn't turn heads, she didn't know what would.

She looked back down at the computer, shaking her head. "The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me." Clint raised her eyebrow at her, not able to believe that came out of her mouth. "Only slightly." She defended.

Clint gave her a little smile which she returned, Clint feeling like they were getting closer again. Melody turned back to the computer, getting a sudden idea. "Okay," she whispered before pounding away on the buttons again. "I'm gonna run a tracer." She looked to Steve and Clint, knowing the two were completely lost. It was Natasha's turn to give the slight eye roll. "This is a program that SHIELD developed to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from."

"Can I help you guys with anything?"

They all turned, Steve in a panic, but Melody handled it perfectly. She wrapped her arms around Clint, clinging to his arm. "My fiancé and our maid of honor and best man were just helping us with honeymoon destinations."

She gave the man a bright smile, a little smirk crossing Clint's face. How ironic that's what she went to. "Yeah." He told him with a bright smile while pushing the fake glasses up the bridge of his nose and Melody adjusted her cap. They were so scared they were going to get recognized. They weren't the most famous, but they were recognizable. "We're getting married."

"Congratulations!" The man told them excitedly while throwing his hands in the air. "Where are you guys thinking about going?"

Melody wanted to roll her eyes at how cocky Clint looked at that point.

Steve turned to look at the computer before muttering, "New Jersey." Both Melody and Clint slowly turned to look at him at why the hell he would say New Jersey out of all places. That's when they noticed the computer before turning back to the man, smiling excitedly at their fake honeymoon.

The man then looked to Steve, like he had recognized him. Panic flushed through all of their systems. The man just smiled before pointing to the glasses Steve was wearing. "I have the exact same glasses."

They all let out a nervous laugh before Natasha shrugged. "Wow, you two are practically twins."

"I wished." The man scoffed.

"Yeah, me too." Clint whispered while looking off into the distance. Melody turned around to Clint like he was insane. "He's a specimen." He whispered in her ear, making Melody place her hand on her mouth to keep her from laughing out loud.

"Well," the man said while stepping back slightly. "If you guys need anything, I've been Aaron."

"Thank you." Steve and Melody spoke in unison politely, waiting until he had turned all the way around to look back to the computer.

"You said nine minutes." Steve whispered urgently.

"Relax." Melody spoke in a calming tone while patting him on the arm. "I got it."

Steve seemed to move in closer at what was on the screen. "Do you know it?" Natasha asked, confused at his face just like everyone else was.

"I used to." He whispered before leaning forward and ripping out the flash drive. Melody slightly panicked at the fear it would damage either the drive or the computer. "Let's go."

Everyone began to hurry out the store, Melody seeming to be the only one worried for the computer. With a large sigh, she followed everyone, Clint wrapping his arm around her and pulling her in closer, making sure to be a few people behind Steve and Natasha. Melody looked around, slightly panicking. "Two across, two behind."

"Two coming straight at us." Clint whispered.

Melody turned to him, dragging him by the escalator before planting a kiss on his lips. She did it until the men passed by, her eyes opening slightly, but her lips still puckered. When she pulled away, Clint's lips were still puckered and his eyes still closed. "Barton." Melody complained.

His eyes opened and his lips straightened out to see Melody's smirk. "Control yourself. We're on a mission."

"I can't, you're such a good kisser."

Melody rolled her eyes, but she couldn't fight the blood that rushed to her cheeks in a bright red. "Come on, we have to find Steve and Nat."

They held hands that time, meeting the two towards the end of the mall like they had discussed if they got separated. Steve's eyes seemed to be wide, Melody turning her head to the side at this, but neither of them were saying anything. That wasn't the key problem at the minute, though. They had to get out of there and to New Jersey.

Steve was driving, Natasha in the front with Clint and Melody in the back. Melody was currently asleep on Clint, Clint completely content with this. He loved to watch her sleep. His arm was starting to cramp up, but he didn't dare move it. It was so nice to watch her look so peaceful when lately she had been so stressed. "She asleep?"

Clint picked his head up at that, looking to Steve before looking back at Melody. "Yeah." He then remembered his best friend in the front seat. "Nat?"

"Yeah." Steve spoke, looking straight ahead. It was quiet, the car filled with the deep breaths of sleep, but Steve couldn't let it be quiet for much longer. They both had a lot to talk about. "She's been real hurt the past few days."

"I've apologized for it."

"Yeah, but not to me."

The truck was quiet again, Clint looking up at him. "I'm sorry."

Yet again, it was quiet. "You know," Steve began. "If you're going to be married to her, there's no secrets."

Clint's head whipped up, his fast action almost jostling Melody. "How do you know about that?"

"How do I not know about that?" Steve scoffed. "You're not exactly subtle."

Clint was quiet some more before looking back to Melody. "Do you not want me to marry her?"

Steve shook his head. "No, I want you to. You make her happy, and I know how she makes you feel." Steve then looked at him in the rearview mirror. "Just don't hurt her again."

Clint got a little smile on his face before looking back down at his sleeping beauty. "Yes, Captain."

The sun was setting when they finally pulled up, Melody and Natasha both now wide awake. When they walked up, they were blocked by a gate, Steve revealing the fact that this is where he went through basic training. "This camp is where I was trained." Steve almost whispered after they climbed over the fence.

"Change much?" Natasha asked, but she didn't sound totally interested.

"A little." He whispered. He could almost see himself and the other men in his company running down the track. He inhaled a sharp breath, thinking about himself before he was given the serum. That was so long ago.

"This is a dead end." Melody spoke while throwing her hands in the air. "Zero heat signatures, zero waves, not even radio."

Clint moved closer to her, furrowing his eyebrows to look at her reader. "Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off."

Steve seemed to be looking off into nothing, Melody furrowing her brows and following his gaze. He began taking off towards a shed, Natasha, Melody and Clint sharing a confused look before running to catch up with him. "Army regulations forbid storing munitions within five hundred yards of the barracks. This building is in the wrong place."

When they got to the opening, Steve slammed his shield into the lock, it breaking with one hit. Steve opened up the door, all they could see were the beginning of stairs leading into the darkness. They all walked slow, Melody holding on to Clint's hand as they walked down, Natasha being the first to find the light switch.

When they got all the way into the room, they noticed the old SHIELD logo painted on the back wall. "This is SHIELD." Natasha whispered.

"Maybe where it started." Steve agreed.

The four made it to some framed pictures, Melody's breath catching in her throat. Her eyes immediately went to the picture of Maria. She knew she looked like her, but it was different to see a picture of her in the age she was in right now. "Maria and Howard Stark."

"Wow." Clint whispered, Melody looking just as shocked as her. Steve just smiled at her picture. That was his sister. And she looked…so happy with Howard. He wished he could have seen it. "She looks just like you, Mel."

Melody's eyes then drifted over to the picture of Peggy. She began to smile. She loved the look of her there. She looked so strong, like the grandmother she knew.

Steve moved over to the multiple shelves, Melody moving with him too. He began to inspect it, Melody's eyebrows furrowing. "What is it?"

Steve didn't turn away from the shelves. "If you're already working in a secret office," He pulled one of the shelves to the side, making all of them jump at the secret door. "Why do you need to hide the elevator?"

"Maybe there were secrets kept from the secret keepers." Melody whispered, still mesmerized by it.

"That," Clint began, eyes still stuck on the elevator, but eyebrows furrowed. "Makes no sense."

Melody rolled her eyes before stepping forward with Natasha, breaking the code to get inside. They went all the way down to the bottom level, lights cutting on as they walked in. It seemed to be some kind of computer room, but it was old. Melody wouldn't even begin to know how to use it because of its age. "There's no way this is the data point," Melody spoke as she stepped onto the stage of the main computer. "This technology is ancient."

But as Melody looked down, there was a newer drive connected to the old computers. Melody felt her pockets, pulling out the cold metal she felt, studying it for a moment before plugging it in. All the computers began to click on, the four looking to each other in fear as the cameras lifted up to study them. When they turned back to the computer, it read "INITIATE SYSTEM?"

Natasha moved forward, deciding to be the one to type in "yes". Once she did, a smile spread on her face, her voice getting suddenly deeper. "'Shall we play a game?'"

Melody and Clint both rolled their eyes as Steve looked unamused. "It's from a movie – " She began to explain.

"I know." Steve cut her off, that unamused look still on his face. "I saw it."

The system began to boot up, something that looked like a face finally popping up. "Rogers, Steven," They all turned to look at Steve, eyes wide as Steve simply went rigid. "Born 1918."

"Barnes," Melody looked to the computer system, this time all eyes going to her. "Melody, born 1989. Barton, Clinton, born 1971. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna, born 1984."

Melody shook her head. It seemed unlikely, but she was going to go with the least threatening option. "It's some kind of recording."

"I am not a recording, Fraulein." Melody looked offended that the computer had insulted her, making her want to punch it. "I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am."

A picture flashed on the screen next to the main one, all of their eyes going there. Clint turned to look at Steve across from Melody, his face confused. "You know this thing, Cap?"

Steve looked panicked before moving behind the computer system to check it out. "Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years."

"First correction, I am Swiss." Melody began to feel her heart trying to jump out of her chest, she couldn't place it, but she had a feeling like something bad was going to happen. "Second, look around you. I have never been more alive." Steve had come from the other end of the monitors, both him and Melody sharing that worried look. He could feel it too. "In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving, on two hundred thousand feet of databanks." Steve came up again, taking his place next to Melody again. "You are standing in my brain."

"How did you get here?" Steve spit out.

"Invited."

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II." Clint spoke, everyone turning to look at him as he spoke. "SHIELD recruited German scientists with strategic value."

"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own." His voice got sinister, that feeling spreading even deeper into Melody.

"HYDRA died with the Red Skull." Steve informed while shaking his head.

"Cut off one head," A HYDRA symbol showed up on the screen, Melody moving to Clint's hand, holding it tighter than ever before. "Two more shall take its place."

"Prove it." Melody almost begged him to stop. She didn't want to know. She felt like she would be completely fine never knowing.

"Accessing archive." A propaganda video of HYDRA popped up on a screen, all of them looking to it. "HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist." Videos of Steve came up, leading the Howling Commandos. "The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly." Pictures that they had all seen framed out there showed, a young Peggy, Howard and Maria. "After the war, SHIELD was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD for 70 years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war, and when history did not cooperate," Melody saw that red star on that metal arm again, this time feeling almost murderous. "History was changed."

"That's impossible." Natasha spoke. When Melody looked to her, all she was doing was shaking her head. All the proof was right in front of them, but it was all just too hard to believe. "SHIELD would have stopped you."

"Accidents happen." A flash of a newspaper came up. It was reporting Howard and Maria's death. Then, there was a video. It didn't have any sound, but Melody recognized it that instant. A man with dark hair was lying in a hospital bed.

"That's my dad." She whispered. Everyone looked to her before looking back to the video, wanting to see what was going to happen next. "What's happening?" She saw the man with the metal arm walk into his room, a gasp taking her voice. "What is he doing?" She could just barely make that out. He had a syringe in his hand. "Get away from him!" She screamed like she could stop it, but this was in the past. He had put whatever was in the syringe in his IV and left before her father began convulsing.

Melody screamed out in agony before Clint pulled her into his chest, knowing she didn't need to see anymore. She peaked out of his chest, though. Just in time to see a picture of her mother and Nick Fury flash on the screen. She was shaking, in a mix of shock and sadness. "You killed my entire family." She whispered. She knew now, it wasn't Death taking them all out, she couldn't put the blame on that cruel bitch. It was HYDRA. HYDRA was the one taking them out one by one, but everyone was just too blind to see it.

"Tell me, Ms. Barnes," Melody turned her head out of his chest, thinking back on the same symptoms she was having. "Are you feeling sickly?"

She turned all the way out of Clint's chest that time, wanting to murder that computer. "Fuck you!" Clint could only look at her. Was she dying?

"HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security." The aircrafts for Project Insight came up and Melody shook her head. She thought she was making those for the better good, but really, HYDRA was just using her skills before they killed her. "Once a purification process is complete, HYDRA'S new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life. A zero sum."

Steve went forward, punching the screen from anger. They all stood there, Melody not helping the silent tears falling down her cheeks.

Another screen next to the main one came up, making them all turn to it. "As I was saying..."

"What's on this drive?" Steve demanded, getting close to the other screen.

"Project Insight requires insight. So, I wrote an algorithm."

"What kind of algorithm?" Natasha demanded, moving right behind Steve, but all Clint and Melody could do was continue to stand there. "What does it do?"

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it."

The door behind them began to lock, Steve trying to throw his shield to stop it, but it was just too late. Natasha's phone then began to beep, Clint and Melody finally looking over at her. "Steve, we got a bogey. Short range ballistic. Thirty seconds tops."

"Who fired it?"

"SHIELD." Melody whispered, knowing who instantly, Natasha confirming with a nod.

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain." Natasha moved to get the flash drive as Clint dragged Melody away from the computer. She was numb, though. She would be lying if she said she didn't think about staying there and letting herself be incinerated. "Admit it. It's better this way." Steve pulled up a vent, Clint practically throwing Melody in before jumping in after her. "We are, both of us, out of time."

Steve and Natasha jumped in just in time, putting his shield out as protection while Clint covered Melody's body with his entire body, not really caring what was going to happen to him at the moment, only worrying about her. Clint didn't know if it was the heat, the pressure, the stress or if something hit his head, but at some point down there, he had lost consciousness. So had Natasha.

Once they knew it was safe to come out, Steve pushed a large block of cement out of the way, Melody still being covered by Clint. She slowly picked her head up, and that's when she knew he was unconscious. "Oh my god." She whispered as he fell off of her. She began to shake him. HYDRA couldn't take him away too. Being involved with her and her family couldn't be the reason of his death. "Clint." She whispered. Her hand went to his neck, sighing of relief at the feeling of a pulse.

"We have to get out of here." Steve told Melody as he scooped up Natasha. Melody leaned down doing the same to Clint, finding carrying him was quite simple. As they made it out of the hole they were in, they saw different aircrafts flying towards the structure. "We really need to get out of here."

Clint and Natasha had now woken up and they were in the new car that they had stolen with Steve. Melody was practically shaking with the quarters in her hands as she moved to the pay phone. After everything she had found out, she just had to talk to him, everyone else understanding and willing to make a pit stop. With a shaking hand, after the quarters were in, she put in the number she had memorized since she was twelve.

In the Avengers Tower, Tony stopped working when he heard his phone ring, going to it, his eyebrows furrowing at the number but deciding to answer it anyway. "Hello?"

Melody got the brightest smile on her face, feeling her eyes fill up with happy tears at the sound of his voice. "Hey, Tony."

"Hey, Mel." Tony laughed out. "Where are you calling from?"

"I'm on a mission. I don't have my cell phone right now."

Tony nodded before sitting down on the bench in the workshop. "What's up kid?"

"Um," Melody began rubbing the phone booth slightly as she stood next to it, not really knowing what to tell him at the moment. What would she ever be able to talk about to anyone ever again after all of this? "I just wanted to let you know that Dad made the right decision about putting me in your care." She swallowed a lump in her throat before continuing talking. "You did a wonderful job of raising me. I know it wasn't the easiest and we've had to put up with a lot in the past few years with terrorists and the Avengers Initiative, but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm proud of you, I'm… I'm proud of us."

Tony let what she had just said process for a moment before finding out how to respond. "Are you in trouble, Melody?"

"No." Melody's lie was so smooth, she included a little laugh in there to make her seem light and happy while she was breaking from the inside. "It's just, with what happened to Mom, it got me thinking."

"Yeah." Tony breathed out. "I tried to call you when I found out, but you didn't pick up which is understandable."

"Yeah." Melody spoke while rubbing her head. She couldn't believe all of that had happened in a matter of twenty-four hours. "I've just been dealing with a lot since then."

Tony's face pulled, not liking the breaking sound of her voice one bit. "I'm sorry, Melly." She wanted to break down at the sound of that old pet name. Her eyes shut tight as the tears continued to fall. "You know, I'm proud of you too, right?" Melody leaned her whole body against the booth as she let out a sniffle. "Everything you do, I'm immensely proud of. You're a wonderful daughter."

"And you're a wonderful dad." She didn't want to leave this conversation, but she knew she had to. "Well, I've got to go, but Dad?"

"Yeah?"

Melody paused, hating that this could possibly be the last conversation she ever had with Tony. "I love you."

Tony smiled, finding her random behavior weird, but he was going to cherish it. "I love you, Mel."

With a deep sigh, Melody hung up. She didn't want the last thing she said to him be "bye". She was content with leaving it at "I love you". She had to let him know that. Even if she died, she had to let him know that he was her driving force.

Sam had just come back from his morning run, immediately going to the fridge and shaking up the orange juice before pouring himself a glass. Just before he could pour the glass, though, there was a knock on his door. But, it was on the back door. He furrowed his eyebrows, but went to the door, pulling up the blinds.

If this had happened a few days ago, he would have been beyond shocked, but he had just befriended Steve so he didn't expect everything to be normal from now on. Captain America, Black Widow, Dark Violet and Hawkeye were all standing at his door. He slid the door open, looking to them all before looking to Steve. "Hey, man."

"I'm sorry about this." Steve apologized quickly. "We need a place to lay low."

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Natasha spoke helplessly, hoping they could trust him.

He looked to them all before moving aside to let them in. "Not everyone."

Melody walked in first, Clint trailing close behind and then Natasha and Steve. Sam quickly looked outside to make sure no one had followed them before shutting the door and pulling the blinds down. For the first time since this had all happened, Melody felt slightly safe. But only slightly.

Guys, this chapter was so hard to write and I hope you guys like it! I'm glad to get that secret out in the open now. Remember to review!