A/N: Warnings for violence in this chapter and probably the next. I know, in theory, SHIELD would never let someone as high-profile as Hill turn herself in, especially with the information she knows, but indulge me and my love of angst.

A/N2: Thanks for all the likes and reviews! I'll try to get caught up with those asap. They make me happy :)

Maria Hill walked steadily towards the doors of the warehouse with her head held high. She fought back a shiver and pulled the leather jacket tighter around her body as her combat boots softly thudded across the pavement. The jeans were a bit itchy and she almost regretted pulling them on instead of a pair of slacks, but she didn't want to ruin a good pair of dress pants. Her eyes scanned the empty streets and she hid the smile that threatened to escape. Fucking hell, this felt like a western movie and she was just waiting for a tumbleweed to blow by. She didn't think Fury would be amused, and so she kept her thought to herself and her head in the game. Stopping short of the doors, she pulled the burn phone from her pocket and dialed Roberts' number.

"Deputy Director- I didn't think you'd have the balls to show," the voice at the other end greeted her with a drawl.

"You should know me better than that, Porter. Are you going for the rustic western set this time? It's a little lacking."

Her tone was light, but she knew he could sense the undercurrents of warning in her voice. He chuckled softly, and she felt a coldness spread through her body. She'd forgotten how much she hated this man. He had apparently never forgotten her. They had always played a dangerous game of cat and mouse, but he always managed to slip free at the last second. She wasn't taking that chance this time. She'd take care of it herself, even at the expense of her own life.

"As much as I'd love to go for that tropical location, my finances aren't what they used to be," he said with a chuckle. "You always were the only one who'd talk back to me. Just for that, darling, I'll release your injured agent as a show of good faith. You'll have to come get him. I'm afraid he can't move too easily by himself. You can have one unarmed agent meet you at the door."

The line clicked dead, and she exhaled slowly. She reached out and pushed open the doors to the building, blinking heavily as her eyes adjusted to the change in light. The group was gathered in the middle of the spacious room, and Porter had the agents kneeling. His four men had guns pressed to the back of their heads, while his own was pointed at one of the children. She quickly studied the rusted machinery present in his setup and knew this wasn't some spur of the moment job. Porter had planned this for a long time coming. She pressed her lips together, and her eyes darted to Roberts who was surrounded by a growing pile of blood. She strode towards him without a glance towards the others.

"Maria," Porter said, almost caressing her name in his mouth.

"Ethan," she replied with a steely edge.

He smiled a little smile as she continued to ignore him, heading straight for Roberts. She frowned when she got closer and noted the displacement of his leg and what remained of his kneecap. He was shivering, and stared at her with forlorn eyes.

"Commander-" he gasped out.

"Hush now," she ordered with an edge of softness.

She unwound the scarf around her neck, and quickly bound his leg as best she could. It would do until he could get to a medic. Ignoring his grimace, she maneuvered him so he was leaning on her and hauled him to his feet, almost stumbling under his weight. He cried out, the movement jarring his leg and she cursed under her breath. They slowly made their way towards the door where Agent Johnson met her with an unreadable look. She shot him a hard look, her gaze never faltering. She passed him off, and slowly tuned back towards Porter.

"Now that that's taken care of," the man said. "Let's play a game."

shieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshield

Although his eyes were focused on the sketchbook in his lap, Steve Rogers' mind was elsewhere. His hand clenched around the pencil while he searched through his thoughts to determine when it had gone wrong. He could feel Maria closing herself off again by the second day at the beach, but had assumed it was just aftermath from Chicago and wanted to give her space. Apparently, he was wrong.

"You're going to break that pencil."

Steve looked up to see Tony enter the room with a scotch in one hand.

"What's eating ya, Capsicle? Trouble in paradise?"

Steve just shot the billionaire a look knowing there was no way to get rid of Tony Stark when he sniffed out a problem, alcohol, or a teammate's discomfort. Stark just smiled and plopped down in the plush armchair beside him. Relaxing his hand and freeing the pencil from it's death grip, he inhaled deeply.

"I'm not sure how to convince her I'm here to stay without driving her away," he said after a moment.

"Ah," Tony replied before taking a sip of his cocktail. "I'm going to be completely honest here. Hill's never been one of my favorite people. I mean she hangs out with the pirate and she's all rules and regulations, and scary, murderous looks-"

"Tony," Steve sighed wearily.

"Sorry. My point is she's used to being on her own and never depending on anyone. Chicago scared her. She's probably going to try to push you away in some self-sacrificing gesture because she doesn't think she deserves nice, shiny things, so it's important you stick around and prove her wrong."

Steve blinked.

"That actually makes sense."

"I don't know why everyone thinks I'm an idiot," Stark said with an eye roll. "I may not yet be an expert on interpersonal relationships, but I do pay attention."

shieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshield

Rumors of the trade Deputy Director Hill was making spread like wildfire around SHIELD. Fury had split many of the agents into a task force to determine the location of the bomb in New York and allow Romanoff and Barton the chance to intervene more quickly. The live feed was thrown up on the main screen reminding everyone why they needed to work as efficiently as possible. When the audio filtered through, all Nick Fury could do was watch and clench his fists.

"Now that that's taken care of," Ethan Porter said. "Let's play a game."

Although her face remained impassive, Maria watched him warily. She knew he was a dangerous man who was used to getting what he wanted. And for the the few years before he went underground, he had made it clear he wanted her. She had never been sure of the origin of his obsession, but their previous entanglements had ended with his scarred face, her broken wrist, and his unfortunate escape from custody.

"We're going to have some fun, you and I," he began slowly, his eyes appraising. "But there are all these wonderful playthings here with us."

His hand rested atop the head of a curly headed toddler. Maria grit her teeth.

"This is between us, Ethan. Let's leave them out of it."

He grinned as if she had said something magical, and her eyes locked onto his.

"You're quite correct, my dear. It's always been you. Well then, for every ten minutes you hold out, I'll release a hostage."

"You'll release the mother and her three children after the first ten minutes," Maria shot back.

Porter was still, but as he studied her his smile grew.

"Twenty minutes, then all the children," he countered. "The mother after the next ten. That's the only deal I'm willing to make, darling."

"And leave you with knowledge of the bomb?" She raised an eyebrow.

His eyes danced, and she felt her stomach drop. She knew there was more to this whole charade, and he seemed well aware of the fact she had no choice but to play his game.

"If you promise not to fight back, darling, I'll give you a clue right now."

"I accept your terms," she replied as if they were discussing a car sale instead of her life.

"If I were you, I'd be concerned about all those tourists and their love of musicals," he said. "Now walk to me."

She didn't falter as she strode towards the center of the room with her chin held high. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her unease. She stood in front of him, her gaze unwavering as he looked her up and down. He circled her slowly, and she forced her breathing to remain even. Without warning, he kicked her legs out from under her causing her to fall to her knees. She caught herself before she hit too hard, but his hand fisted in her hair as he pulled her head back before she could rise. She let her hands remain limply at her sides as he tugged roughly at her scalp, exposing her neck.

"I'm surprised your master let you off your leash," he teased while forcing her to remain in the submissive position. "All those secrets in that pretty little head."

He studied her for a minute before breaking out into a loud laugh.

"You didn't tell him," he exclaimed as she continued to glare.

"Fuck off, Porter," she growled, and he wrenched her head back farther.

"You're something else, darling."

"So I've been told."

"That's why you've always been my favorite," he chuckled. "Always running your mouth."

He turned to the security camera with a wry grin, and thrust his gun under her chin. She could feel the metal digging into her throat.

"I know you're watching, Director. I hope your entire organization appreciates the sacrifice the lovely deputy director is making on your behalf. What she neglected to tell you was that she knew she wasn't going to be leaving here alive. And the best part is, she's just going to lie down and take it."

shieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshield

"Motherfucker!" Fury cursed as he slammed his fist down on the table.

"Hill, if you make it out of this one, I'm going to kill you myself," he whispered under his breath before ordering teams to clear the major theatres in Times Square.

He turned back to the screen in time to see Porter bring the butt of his gun down hard across Hill's temple, the impact sending her sprawling to the ground. She was still for a moment, stunned. Porter grabbed a solid piece of wood the size of a baseball bat before he sauntered over to her, his steel toed boot connecting with her side. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes flashing and her hands instinctively assuming a fighting stance. She forced herself to remain still. He reared back before bringing the makeshift bat crashing down on her side as she doubled over. A soft gasp of pain flew from her mouth, and he paused giving her a chance to regain her footing.

Fury was silent as he studied her appearance. There was a large gash on her forehead that was slowly dripping blood, and he could tell by the way she was holding herself she had reinjured the ribs on her left side. He ground his teeth as the agents around him stared on in shock.

"Shit," someone at the next workstation over whispered as Porter backhanded her across the face.

shieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshieldshield

Hill remained relatively quiet as the beating continued, her gaze occasionally flickering to the other occupants of the room. She noticed one of the rookie agents had a slightly belligerent expression, and she hoped he had enough sense to not get involved. His hands twitched and she could tell he was going to do something stupid.

"Stand down, agent," she barked, her eyes flashing. "That's an order."

Porter caught her by the wrist, and applied just enough pressure to her little finger that she stilled. There was a soft beeping noise, and Porter looked down with pleased expression.

"Twenty minutes, Hill. Congratulations."

Then he snapped her finger.

She bit back the cry that threatened to bubble up while her eyes watered. She allowed herself a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath, before facing Porter with a deadly gaze. He merely smiled at her before leaning closer.

"You're quiet now, Agent, but don't worry. You will scream for me."

"Go fuck yourself," she stated.

"Language, darling. Now why don't you escort those beautiful children to the door."

She slowly made her way over to the young woman holding the children close to her sides. The mother bit back a thankful sob that was tinged with guilt, as Maria carefully took the toddler in her arms. The young boy clung to her, and she winced, her breathing hitched. Johnson met her at the door once more, and she handed off the children, ignoring his concerned expression. She didn't have time for this. She needed to get the mother out of the building before she passed out. Turning, she walked back towards Ethan who continued to watch her intently.

"Have a seat," he said pleasantly and gestured to a chair as if he hadn't just beaten the crap out of her.

She crossed her arms gently and sat.