Jess walked down the halls of the Triskellion calmly despite what had just happened. The strap that she had around her arm felt tighter than ever and she could feel blood coming to the surface on the skin around her neck, but she didn't slow down. She knew that Sam would be upstairs trying to stop Rumlow and Steve was no doubt fighting against Bucky to stop the last helicarrier, she had to make sure that nothing else was going to get in their way.

In a way she was glad that no one else was walking through the halls because she had recently made the decision to shoot and then ask questions, unable to trust anyone around here. They were all Hydra and therefore all against her.

''Stop!''

Jess turned to see a man in an attack uniform pointing a gun at her. Instead of holding her hands up in surrender though, she pulled up a gun on her own and shot the man in the arm. When he dropped his gun and gasped in pain, Jess made her way over and knocked him to the ground, using the handcuffs she knew were hanging on his belt to lock his wrist to his ankle.

''It's too late, Insight's launching!'' he told her fiercely as she took his gun and strapped it to her holster.

''That's too bad,'' Jess rolled her eyes, walking away and leaving him.

When she made her way to a staircase on the other side of the hall, Jess decided that moving up a floor would be better. Everyone was almost out of the building now anyway, she had to make her way back to Sam.

''Sam, you there?'' she called out to the device stuck in her ear.

It took a few moments before his breathless voice came through.

''Still...on 41st,''

Jess hurried her steps now, his voice clearly indicating that he was fighting. Rumlow was one of SHIELD's best on the strike and attack team, he wasn't going to be easy to slow down. However Sam wouldn't give up and Jess knew that.

''I'm coming up!''

Running now, Jess looked around every corner as she took the stairs two at a time. Looking out the window as she ran, she could see the smoke and fire in the sky from the helicarrier, large chucks of the craft falling into the water below. She hoped that Steve was okay and Bucky too, and she especially hoped that they could stop Insight. Natasha and Fury would be upstairs with the council if everything was going according to plan. However Jess wasn't expecting the panicked message from Sam that screamed into her ear moments after she had reached the 30th floor.

''Jess! Get out of the building!''

''What!'' she called back, still running. ''I'm on 31st!''

''Please tell me you got that chopper in the air!''

Natasha's voice came over seconds later.

''Sam where are you?''

''41st floor, north-west corner! Jess is on 31st!''

''33rd!'' Jess called back.

''Stay where you are!'' Natasha warned.

''Not an option!''

Jess turned to her left to see the giant corner of the helicarrier beginning to fall into the building and she had no idea where to go. Jumping out the window wasn't an option, running any further wasn't an option, and stay where she was definitely wasn't going to happen. As the corner of the building tore off though, Jess knew that improvising was her only hope. The side of the helicarrier cut through the building and forced its way down the hall and toward Jess. Knowing there was a huge chance it wouldn't work out, Jess shot toward the glass windows and jumped out through the specks of glass.

Jess hoped that she was near Sam and the chopper, but soon found that the helicarrier was travelling fast as it fell. Jess desperately clawed at edge of the craft that had caught up with her, hoping for something to grab out. She screamed and groaned in pain as huge chunks of debris hit against her as she hung high above the ground below. Her legs swayed back and forth in the wind before one of her arms gave way, leaving her to hang on with her injured limb. She couldn't help the cry of pain that escaped her lips as she hung on to the side. It wasn't long before the side of the helicarrier began to break off in pieces around her, and Jess screamed in fear when her grip was lost.

Falling through the air, Jess got a clear view of the other helicarrier up in the air, the one Steve was in. If she didn't make it, she really hoped that he did. The last thing she remembered was her hair blowing out in front of her as she looked up at the sky, content that her last view would be the clear blue sky littered with with smoke and flames, a reminder that Hydra and everyone who had hurt her family was now gone.

When she opened her eyes, Jess was met with the sight of a machine blinking and beeping beside her. It took her a few moments to realize that she wasn't dreaming, her hand reaching out to touch the tube that was connected to arm. She felt groggy and tired, her head pounding as if there was a ticking time bomb inside. The last thing she remembered was falling out of the sky as the Triskellion fell apart around her. She was sure it was the last thing she would ever see, she didn't expect to wake up in a hospital bed.

''Surprised?''

Jess turned her head to see Sam Wilson standing by the door, his arms folded and a friendly grin on his face. He had a few bruises and cuts on his face, but he wasn't in a white hospital gown, he seemed fine. Groaning as she sat up, Jess rubbed her eyes and looked down to see that her arm was in a sling, tightly bound to her body.

''Just a bit,'' she nodded. ''Never thought I'd wake up from that,''

''Well, you had us all worried there for a while that's for sure. Your arm's broken by the way and you had some gashes and bruises from the debris patched up, but when you fell Fury managed to pull the chopper around for you to land in. Hit your head pretty hard though,''

''Which is why I'm in here and not dead,'' she nodded in understanding.

''Pretty lucky in my opinion,'' he walked over to play with the flowers at her bedside table.

Jess stared at the yellow blossoms, wondering why they were even there.

''Why do I have flowers? I haven't been in here that long, have I?''

''No, you were admitted yesterday but I've had a lot of free time so...''

Jess looked over to him.

''You got me these?''

''Well the gift shop is right next door and this room isn't exactly luxury, so yeah. Those ones are from me anyway,'' he pointed at the yellow flowers. ''But those purple ones are from Natasha. She said she was impressed by what you did yesterday and hopes you're alright,''

''Wow, thanks,''

Jess couldn't believe that Natasha Romanoff had given her flowers in hospital. It was a huge gesture from the both of them and she appreciated it. However her mind was on something else right now.

''Steve,'' she looked up at Sam. ''Where is he? Is he okay?''

''He's gonna be okay. He's in the room next door, he's been out of it since they found him on the shore. He stopped the launch, but Bucky got away, don't know where he is or where he went,''

They'd lost Bucky, but at least he was still alive somewhere and Hydra no longer existed. They had done what they needed to do and everything came at a cost, Jess was just glad that no one had died during the fighting. Sam could see the questions going through Jess's mind about what happened the day before after she fell and he took it upon himself to explain it all to her.

Natasha had taken all of SHIELD's information and put it onto the internet for the world to see, exposing Hydra and their crimes. But in doing so, she had let the world know exactly who she was and everything that she had hidden from them. Her past, the missions she didn't want to remember, everything. Now she was being called upon to answer not only for her actions but for all of theirs. As for Director Fury, he was going off the map.

SHIELD was gone.

Jess had spent her whole life despising the organization only to find out that Hydra were the real enemies. Now that it was gone, she couldn't help feel bad that everything they had all worked for was lost as well. They had nothing to show for their sacrifices.

The whole reason Jess began her journey was to find answers about her father's death and her grandfather and although Bucky was alive out there somewhere, she had no chance of finding out why her father had to die. It had to have been Hydra who killed him, he was obviously getting too close to finding out about Bucky, but Jess had to accept that she would never fully get closure on that matter. Instead she had to cling to the only other hope she had which was finding Bucky.

He was the only real family she had left despite him having no knowledge of her or her father at all, but with Hydra gone, they had a chance to change all of that. Steve and Jess would have their chance to find someone they both thought they'd lost, together. She knew that she had betrayed Steve's trust one before, but she was going to make it up to him by being by his side through the whole thing. Steve was her family too, there would be no changing that now.

An hour later, once the nurses and doctors had come and made sure she was okay, Jess was allowed to go visit Steve. She had slipped on a pair of jeans under her hospital gown, hating how the white material made her feel so exposed. Sam pulled over a wheelchair from the corner when Jess swung her legs off the bed, but she only looked up at him with a sigh.

''Really? I'm not getting in that,'' she shook her head.

''Hey, nurses orders not mine,'' Sam put his hands up in surrender.

''I have a broken arm not a broken leg,''

''And also a concussion,'' he reminded.

''Still not getting in the wheelchair Sam,'' Jess shook her head.

''Fine,'' Sam huffed, pushing the chair back into the corner.

Jess stood up, annoyed that she had to take the the I.V stand with her on her journey to the next room. Apparently her body was dehydrated, but Jess was beginning to think that the hospital was just making up excuses to make her look like an invalid. She felt perfectly fine apart from the splitting head ache and broken arm.

''I'm amazed you're not injured,'' she looked to Sam. ''Didn't you jump out of the building as well?''

''I've got more flight experience I guess,'' he joked.

''Unfair,''

''If it makes you feel better, my back is killing me, if that counts,''

Jess chuckled.

''It does actually, makes me feel less of an idiot for getting hurt,''

Sam followed her to the door, stopping her before she opened it.

''You're not an idiot. What you did yesterday was insane for someone who hasn't been on the field like that before. People go through training to do that, you were just thrown into it back when you were a kid. Should be proud of yourself, you family would be,''

Jess smiled at the man, appreciating his words. Sam didn't know much about her story, but he had been told as much as the others had and knew that she had gotten into this whole thing for her family.

''Thank you,'' she grinned.

When they made it to Steve's room without the nurses seeing that Jess had rejected the idea of the wheelchair, they both stepped inside and closed the door, staring at the man in the bed. Steve had bruises all over his face, his left eye swollen and red. Jess was aware that the super soldier healed faster than a normal person, but it didn't take away the worry in her eyes as she looked at him.

Stepping closer, Jess put her hand on his and noticed that the same colored flowers from her room were also in here from Natasha. Steve's soft breathing filled the room and although Jess knew he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, she pulled a chair over and sat beside him as Sam did the same on the other side.

''So he's gonna be okay?'' she asked, needing reassurance.

''Yeah, they've done tests and all. He had water in his lungs, a few broken ribs, shoulder would. Some nasty stuff, but they said it should clear up within a few days,''

Jess nodded and he explained, glad that he was going to be alright. Pulling her legs up onto the chair and crossing them, she made herself comfortable as she let out a quiet yawn. Sam watched her for a moment as she rested her head on in her hand that was bent up on the arm of the chair. It wasn't long before her eyes which were watching Steve soon closed, sleep taking over once again.

Another hour had passed and a few nurses had come in to check up on Steve and add more fluids to Jess's I.V. They told Sam that he should have taken her back to her room to rest, but he knew that she wouldn't have wanted that. She needed to be near Steve right now. As the time went on though, Sam connected his phone into the dock he had brought in earlier with the intention to play the soundtrack he had suggested to Steve. Troubleman began playing as he sat back down and he tried to stay awake by reading the back of a pamphlet he found on the table, but his eyes were starting to fall closed as well.

However a voice made him look up immediately before he dozed off.

''On your left,''