Disclaimer: I own nothing Captain America-related, not even Bucky Barnes…though I might consider asking Marvel to loan them and the rest of the Avengers to me for a while. Until then, only original characters and plots/ideas are mine.

AN: So, I'm going to do things a bit differently in this story, concerning the new female OC. Instead of it being first-person, from her POV, I'm going to do it from the omniscient third-person POV. I just thought I'd switch it up a bit, but if people would like it switched back, I could do that, later on. Also, I know that after SHIELD was disbanded in the movie and TV show, they lost all their funds and stuff, but I figured that, if they were smart, they probably had stuff tucked away for emergencies (which Fury did on Agents of SHIELD), so I'm going off on that theory.

Anyway, please enjoy, and don't forget to review. Thanks!

Chapter 3: A Reluctant Recruit:

Heading down the street, Anita Wallace (known as Anna to her friends and family) heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the form of the house she shared. Lucky for her, the Smiths were out of town visiting family, so she had the place to herself for a while.

Once the door had swung shut behind her, she flipped the lock and relished the clean, air-conditioned air that flowed throughout the lower level. Cold air sank, and as such, her rooms on the second level of the divided house were far warmer during the summer. Winter wasn't so bad, but in summer, it was a pain in the butt to get any sleep.

'If I had the money, I'd get an a/c unit of my own,' she wishfully thought, breathing in and savoring the coolness.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the money, and from the looks of it, probably wouldn't for a while. She had enough packed away to pay the rent, and get the most basic groceries, but that was pretty much it. Her parents were kind enough to pay for her electricity and Internet service, as well as her half of the water bill, but that couldn't go on forever.

'And they expect to be paid back, too, once I find a new job.'

Sighing, she headed up to her half of the house. The downstairs had a wall that had been put up just inside the front door, with its own entry door that locked for the lower apartment, which was also the larger area of the house. The Smiths had locked it when they'd left, but Anna had the spare, so that she could look after (aka: clean) the space until they got back.

That was the only work Anna could find right now: babysitting their baby girl, and tidying up the place whenever they asked for help. The babysitting brought in money; the cleaning she traded in exchange for a free meal or some clothes Leslie Smith didn't need or want anymore.

Unlike most people, Anna had no problems with used clothes –the thrift shops were a favorite place of hers to find all sorts of things, and Leslie had pretty good taste in clothing, so it wasn't too bad of an arrangement.

Sighing, Anna headed up to her half of the building, feet scraping on the wooden staircase. The house was old, built in the Victorian Era, and clearly meant for the smaller people from that century. The downstairs section was taller, so it was easier to move around, but upstairs, the slope of the ceiling was lower than in modern houses.

Still, it was a large space, with the forward area serving as her living room/dining room/kitchen. There was a short hallway leading to a small bathroom with a tub/shower and toilet; beside that was a small bedroom. Anna supposed she could have made the living room area her bedroom, but it had large windows, and she did not relish the idea of accidentally giving people a show while she changed.

Heading over the fridge, Anna pulled out her phone, tossed her purse on the counter, and began scrounging through the fridge as she listened to the messages left by various callers. Working through the Tupperware containers full of meals Leslie had left for her as payment for watching the downstairs apartment, Anna tried to find the six-pack of soda that she'd bought as a treat for herself while the messages played in her ear.

Not all of them were great to listen to. Two were rejection messages from places she's applied to for work, while another was from her mother, asking her to keep on looking. The last message was from her garbage company, asking for their payment a second time.

Groaning, Anna looked at her phone and ended the playback. She wished one of her friends would call, but unlike her, they were working. She briefly considered calling up one of her numerous female cousins for a sympathetic ear, but they were all probably busy –some were considerably younger than her and still in high school, while others were in college, trying to work their way through school.

And as much as they all loved one another, trying to foist her problems onto one of her family members wouldn't be a good idea, not if it got her in trouble with her aunts and uncles. They always called her a 'free spirit' who drifted from one job to another; not like the other girls in the family. Certainly not like her favorite cousin, Adena, who had somehow spun herself from 'steady and reliable' to 'wife of a superhero with a connection to a huge spy agency.'

'Hey, maybe Adena can get me a job somewhere.'

Anna shook her head; getting hold of Adena was almost impossible. The whole family was worried sick about her, and she just wouldn't answer their phone calls, no matter how often they called her. It was damn frustrating!

Actually, Anna very much wanted to call up Adena, to see what was going on with her slightly older cousin, but she figured that if anything bad had happened, she'd have gotten word from someone -either from Adena herself, or her husband, the one-and-only Steve Rogers, aka: Captain America.

It still blew Anna's mind that her cousin was married to the superhero of their childhood. Two generations of their family had grown up with stories about the man, and now we were related by marriage. It was something Anna wanted to blab to the whole world about, but thanks to some of the good Captain's friends, none of her family was able to. Agents in black suits and ties, armed with weaponry and iron-clad confidentiality agreements, tend to make even the most avid gossip hold their tongue.

Ironically, it had been Anna who had told the family to ease up a bit when it came to calling up Adena. It had taken a while, but after about a week, she had been able to convince even her folks to stop bothering her cousin. She figured that Adena's parents would have at least some news, and that they'd share what they knew once she contacted them.

Anna was thankful she'd been right. Not long after the whole incident in D.C., they all got an e-mail from Adena, saying that she was fine, and that she and her husband were in one piece. She knew that everyone was worried, so she wanted to assure them about her safety, and that she would let them all know if anything else happened.

The next message they got was that Adena and her husband were heading off to do some work for Stark Industries! She also said that she wouldn't be reachable for a while, and that once she was back, she'd let them all know. That was it.

Of course, that caused a whole slew of problems within the family. The first message had caused floods of calls and e-mails between Adena's parents and everyone else in the family, including Anna. Since she had no idea what was happening, and refused to listen to any of the gossip and speculations being tossed around, she decided to ignore everyone's phone calls and texts on the matter. She even told her mother not to phone her with any of the theories she'd come up with, instead choosing to wait and see what else Adena might tell them.

When she got the second message about her cousin flying off on business for Tony Stark, Anna practically had to tie herself down to keep from begging her cousin to try and get her a job. Adena would have done it, for family's sake, but Anna didn't want to take advantage of her that way.

"My cousin is married to Captain America, and she works for Tony Stark," Anna muttered as she found the pop in the back of the fridge. Pulling out the cold glass bottle, she popped the cap off and took a sip. "How much do I want to bet that she hangs out with the other Heroes of New York?"

When had her cousin's quiet life turned into something that would make a great movie or comic book?

'And what I wouldn't give to be able to design that storyline,' she thought with a weak smile.

Still, even if she envied the change in her cousin's life, Anna wasn't sure she'd be able to handle the danger and excitement that being attached to superheroes might bring. Heck, she had enough trouble finding a new job –fighting bad guys and aliens would probably make her head explode!

She almost choked on her soda as the doorbell rang, scaring the hell out of her. Who that could be, she had no idea -her parents weren't due for a visit for a 'check-up' on her for a while, and she wasn't expecting anyone. At least she had no creditors (thank goodness); the first thing she always did was pay her credit card bills.

Setting her drink back in the fridge, Anna quietly slipped down the stairs and peeked through the peephole in the door. There stood a man in a black suit and tie, black sunglasses, and a small frown on his face. Beside him was a woman with red hair, a white tank top, black leggings tucked into black boots, and a black leather jacket. Both looked like they meant business –as in, government business.

Hmm, to open the door, or to pretend she wasn't home? She voted for the second one.

"We know you're home, Miss Wallace," the man called through the door. "You might as well open up. We aren't leaving until you do."

He waited for a reply, but got none. "I think your neighbors will have a lot to gossip about if they see us standing here."

Damn it, he was right. Anna's neighbors were mostly young families, and elderly women who loved gossip –the last thing she needed was word to get around that two people who looked like government agents had popped by. Then she'd never get a job!

Heaving a heavy sigh, she reluctantly opened the door to let them in. The woman gave her a brisk nod and stepped in, moving past her and out of the way, allowing the man behind her to follow so that the door could be closed behind him.

To Anna's surprise, the man removed his sunglasses and gave her what looked like a genuine smile. "Miss Wallace," he greeted her as he tucked the glasses away. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD. I'm here about a job I'd like to offer you."

After offering Agent Coulson and his associate (who refused to give her name) a seat, Anna also offered them something to drink. Agent Coulson accepted, though the woman did not. Even though she didn't say much, the redhead looked around with a cool, steady gaze that made Anna uneasy. She also looked super-familiar, too, like Anna had seen her someplace before.

It wasn't until Agent Coulson had started taking a sip of his drink that Anna realized who the woman was. "You're Natasha Romanoff," she gasped, wondering if she should dive for cover. "I saw only a little bit of the Senate trial, but it's you!"

She swallowed hard. "Do you know my cousin? Adena Rogers?"

Natasha's cool façade melted slightly. "I do. She's a good woman, your cousin. She certainly does her best to keep the rest of us in line."

Yup, that was Adena: always looking to make sure people stayed out of trouble. It drove the aunts and uncles crazy when she tried to boss around the little kids, but she only had the best intentions, which was probably why she managed to get away with it. Well, that and she was the oldest, so the adults tended to forgive her rather quickly.

Swallowing hard, Anna took a deep breath and went to retrieve the pop she'd started earlier, taking a few sips to try and steady her nerves. After she'd returned to her own chair and set her bottle on the glass-top coffee table, Anna took a deep breath and tried to stay focused.

"So, after that whole event in Washington, what does that make you, Agent Coulson?" Anna asked as she fiddled with her bottle. "I mean, isn't SHIELD supposed to be disbanded or something?"

The man smiled as he sipped from his glass. "That would make me the head of an organization that many want disbanded. I, however, intend to ignore them."

Anna blinked at him. "You're in charge of SHIELD?" she squeaked. It took a minute before she managed to get herself together again. "You said you were here to offer me a job. Are you asking me to join your agency, Agent Coulson?"

It was crazy. It was stupid, too. The thought of fighting, using guns and possibly hurting other people made her feel sick. She was not agent material.

'But maybe they need a few people to do their paperwork,' she thought, pushing aside imaginings of foreign missions and large destructive weapons going off. Paperwork she could handle!

"Well, in a way," he replied. "And you can call me Phil; your cousin does."

That was almost too much. Adena was on a first-name basis with the new head of a super-secret spy organization that the U.S. government wanted disbanded? What other surprises did her cousin have up her sleeve?

Swallowing hard, Anna tried to keep it together. "Then you can call me Anna. Everyone does."

"Okay, then, Anna," Phil said, leaning back on the worn green material of the couch he sat on. "Let me explain what it is we require of you."

Half an hour later, Anna felt like the conversation that had just happened was something made up by a nightmarish part of her mind. Just thinking about government agents scared her –the idea of potentially being employed by them terrified her.

Luckily, Phil, as he asked her to call him, had been very clear about what it was his organization wanted her to do: to basically help rehabilitate a man who had once been a renowned assassin and killer, and try to get him to become a relatively 'normal' man again.

Anna couldn't decide if he was crazy or not.

"So, you won't take it personally when I say 'no way' to this idea, right?" she asked, looking at the two agents. "I mean, this is beyond bizarre. What if he decides that I'm annoying him at some point and tosses me out a window?"

A billion other death scenarios played through her head, most of them coming from action and spy films she'd seen. If real-life assassins were anything like the ones in the movies, she felt sorry for those on the receiving end of their actions. Phil wouldn't even tell her who she'd be helping, which wasn't a good sign, either, in her opinion.

"We completely understand where you're coming from," Phil said, holding his coffee cup out for a refill of the tea she'd served him. "But we need someone, and right now, there are few people we trust with this kind of issue. The organization that this man once worked for has their own hidden all over, and in every different job field. We need someone we know isn't part of that organization."

Anna gave them a doubtful look as she refilled his cup. "And how do you know I'm not part of that particular organization? I mean, I'm not, but spy stuff is what you guys do. Aren't you always supposed to be suspicious of everybody?"

Natasha shrugged. "Oh, we are suspicious of everybody. The thing is, you're part of Adena's family, and we've been able to assess that none of her family members possess the qualities and personalities that our enemies want."

Phil actually smiled at her. "In fact, you're the complete opposite of what they're looking for in recruits, which is exactly why we want you."

In spite of herself, Anna was a little amused. "So you think I'm too nice and sweet to be evil? I thought those were the kinds of people that you should always watch out for."

Phil managed a small laugh as Natasha smiled a little. "That might have a bit of truth behind it," Phil admitted, "But we have a good feeling about you. We know you've got a close, loving family, and that you're a good person."

"We also know that you're out of work," Natasha bluntly stated. "If you don't find something soon, you'll be broke. Your parents could help, but even that'll have its limits."

Anna knew the redhead was right. She didn't want to know how they knew she was unemployed, but they were right about her current situation -she needed money, and soon. Her parents' generosity could only go so far, and the job market around this moderately-sized town wasn't that great. She had to find work, and here they were, offering what she desperately needed.

There was one thing bothering her, though.

"Who's financing you guys, if the government isn't?" Anna asked. "I mean, someone has to be, if you're going to be paying all of your people, including me."

The two agents exchanged looks. "We've got our ways," Natasha blandly replied. "Now, what do you say? We can probably give you a day or two to think about it, but you do need to hurry."

It was insane, plain and simple, but it was also a god-send. It was also an opportunity to have an adventure and maybe expand her horizons a little, just like Adena had –and she'd ended up marrying Captain America, of all people!

'I wonder what sort of doors this could open for me,' Anna thought, her imagination spinning wild for a minute before Natasha burst her bubble.

"And if it doesn't work out, we'll still pay you accordingly for your efforts, and possibly put in a good word for you with Tony Stark."

Oh, now wasn't that the icing on the cake? If this didn't work out (and Anna knew it wouldn't), then at least there was a backup plan. Work for Stark Industries? Her parents would freak out if she brought that news home!

"What about my stuff and my apartment?" she couldn't help asking. As stuffy and old as it was, it was hers, and she'd grown attached to the place.

"You'll be moving to another location, one that's furnished," Phil replied. "We don't have the funds to keep this place for you, but we can put what items you don't require in storage until further notice. You can bring your clothes and some of what you feel you can't live without, but furniture and stuff would mostly be put away."

That put her hackles up. "I don't want to move into a sterile, generic apartment," Anna snapped. "I want a space of my own that's decorated to my taste. I like art and color, not beige or blah surroundings."

Phil looked amused while Natasha seemed a bit skeptical. It looked like Adena hadn't put up much of a fuss when SHIELD got hold of her, but Anna was determined to have her way with this.

"Fair enough," Phil said. "Just try not to overdo it, hmm? That way, you won't have much to pack up again, if it doesn't work out."

That was probably all she was going to get from them, but it was good enough. "Okay, I'll do it," Anna conceded. "Just, give me a little while to make up a story for my parents."

Phil grinned as Natasha reached into her jacket and pulled out a slip of paper. "We're way ahead of you on that one."

Anna sighed. Of course they were. Hurray for government agents.

AN: Well, there we are with a new OC. Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!