Steve, Clint, and Natasha stood in Fury's office. A Quinjet flew them from Colombia to DC. During their down time in Colombia they were able to shower, get food, and change into civilian clothes. Now they faced Fury. Natasha, who carried the thumb drive full of intel, handed it personally to Fury. While they waited he slipped it into his computer and started downloading what she retrieved. He looked up from the computer and nodded towards Steve.
"What happened, Captain?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, sir. I do know this much and that is I'd like an investigation on the Strike team," he said. Steve couldn't get the image of Hogarth's body out of his mind. The young man had four rounds in him and they were at close range. Steve had doubts about who killed the young man, though he wouldn't voice them unless he had proof.
"I'll be looking into this matter myself," said Fury.
He scanned the intel with his good eye. Just like other Hydra intel there were hints in it that disturbed him. He sat back and exhaled.
"Agent Barton, you have leave coming to you. Take it. We are coming up on Thanksgiving in two weeks. I don't want to see your ass back in DC until New Year's," said Fury.
Clint grinned then said, "Thank you, sir."
Fury would give him chunks of extended leave so he could visit his family and play the role of family man and father. He had helped Barton setup the farm, kept it secret, and protected it when necessary. Hawkeye was one of his people, just like the Black Widow and others. Fury was loyal to them and they were loyal to Fury.
"Romanov and Rogers, I want your reports on my desk tomorrow then take a week off. That was a helluva a hike you took from Costa Rica to Colombia," Fury pointed out.
"Thank you, sir," said Natasha.
"Sir, I don't need the down time," Steve stated.
"Yes, you do, Captain," said Fury. "I'm going to need you sharp and rested. Plus, you have to get used to this time period, Cap. It's your home now. Dismissed."
The three left the office and headed towards the elevator. Clint took out his cellphone and started texting. Natasha kept hip checking trying to screw up his texting. Steve came up beside her and she stopped.
"So, old man, what do you have planned for your time off?" asked Natasha.
"No plans," Steve replied. "I guess I'll buys some arts supplies and start sketching again."
"I read in your file you went to art school," remarked Natasha.
"Two years. My professors thought I had talent but I'd never be a painter because I was color blind. The serum cured that, but I still mainly sketch. It relaxes me."
"We should grab some food before we head off for the night. I'm in the mood for either Sushi or Chinese," said Clint.
"Which do you prefer, Cap?" asked Natasha.
"I've never really had either one. Remember I was raised during the depression. I ate a lot of soups," Steve answered. "I wouldn't mind trying either one, though."
"Definitely Chinese. I don't think we can afford to fill Cap with enough sushi to satisfy his appetite," noted Clint.
"I know a great place," smirked Natasha.
AVENGERS
The restaurant was the Magic Gourd located in Foggy Bottom neighborhood of DC. Clint and Natasha ordered the food, which included sweet and sour pork, BBQ pork, pork egg rolls, Singapore noodles, pan fried dumplings, crab Rangoon, sesame chicken, fried rice, chicken and eggplant in plum sauce, and hot and sour soup. Steve indulged in everything and found that Chinese food was one of his favorites. Clint watched Steve chow down and could only shake his head in amazement.
"Well, we now know that you like Chinese food," he remarked.
Steve stopped eating for a moment then looked at Clint then Natasha.
"I've eaten too much, haven't I?" he said guiltily.
"No, Cap, we bought too much food knowing that you'd eat it. I'm just amazed this is your first time eating Chinese. You seem to really like it," said Clint.
"Next time we buy double the amount we buy so you can bring home some leftovers. That's one of the great pleasures of Chinese food," noted Natasha.
"Yeah, waking up at three in the morning starved and grabbing some cold noodles or heat up some soup," smiled Clint. "Leftover Chinese food is a pleasure, Cap."
"I ate the leftovers," Steve mumbled.
"Cap, you spent two weeks in the jungle avoiding capture and hunting food for Nat and I. Nat noticed and I noticed the number of days you under ate to make sure we had food," Clint told him. "Eat all you want. We owe you."
"He's right, old man. You were a good partner in the jungle," smirked Natasha.
"That reminds me while I'm gone, Cap, you're Natasha's partner. Protect my girl," Clint said.
"Don't be an idiot, Barton, I'm not a damsel in distress. I can handle myself," growled Natasha.
Steve decided to ignore her response.
"Where are you going?" asked Steve.
"Out of town, here and there," smiled Clint.
"Are you leaving town, too, for your week off?" he asked Natasha.
"Nope. I stay here. I have a few things to do, some old business to catch up on," said Natasha.
"Oh," Steve replied.
One thing he had to get used to was that spies didn't give out much information. Even if was starting to feel friendship with Barton and Romanov, they didn't give out too much personal information. It wasn't like him and his Howling Commandos, or his relationship with Bucky. They shared everything from dreams to food.
Natasha yawned, "I have to get up early to get into the Triskelion to write my report."
"I'll be up at five and on the round," said Clint. "What about you, Cap?"
"After I pay the bill here, I'm going back to HQ and writing my report out and then maybe I'll work out," he said.
"You have way too much energy for an old man," teased Natasha.
"And you aren't paying the bill," grinned Clint.
"Yes, I am. You guys introduced me to Chinese food, so I'm paying the bill. Next time we ate out together, you can pay for me," he said. "Don't argue. That's an order."
AVENGERS
Steve sat at the desk in the office SHIELD supplied him. He opened up the laptop they gave him and started writing his report. As he wrote the report he kept thinking about Hogarth. He had let the young man down. It was his mission and Hogarth died on it. As a new guy, he should have had someone protecting his back and making sure he came home from the mission. It was the way he taught the Howling Commandos.
Rumlow and Rollins were the two most experienced and high ranking agents. They should have taken care of Hogarth. He was their responsibility. Yet, that didn't alleviate Steve of his responsibility. The CO should look out for his men.
Finishing the report, he printed out a copy then walked to the elevator and took it up to Fury's office. He expected that Fury would be gone. The elevator stopped at the top floor. Steve got off and walked down the hall to Fury's office. It was now two twenty in the morning. Steve approached Fury's office and heard voice.
"I don't like this, Hill," Fury's voice said.
"We need more proof," Hill replied.
Steve continued into the secretary's waiting room then knocked on the door to Fury's office.
"Come in," growled Fury.
Steve entered. Both Fury and Hill were seated on the leather sofa nursing drinks.
"Captain, what are you doing here?" asked Fury.
"I had the energy, didn't feel tired, so I came in to do my report," he told him.
Steve walked over to Fury's desk and placed his report there then he faced Hill and Fury.
"SHIELD has a problem, doesn't it?" he asked.
Fury looked over at Hill and smiled. She shrugged her shoulders then asked him, "What do you think the problem is?"
"Rumlow and the Strike team, they ran on us. The Quinjet was targeted. We were expected. The one member of the Strike team that wasn't loyal to Rumlow was killed. They abandoned Barton, Romanov, and me," he stated.
"Why?" asked Fury.
"Divided loyalties," Steve answered.
Fury grinned again. Hill sighed.
"Cap, I'm afraid that SHIELD might be compromised," said Fury. "We kept gathering intel that has hints and shadows that SHIELD has a problem."
"Who?" asked Steve.
"Hydra," Hill answered.
"You believe Hydra has infiltrated SHIELD?" Steve said calmly.
"On certain levels and it is growing," said Fury. "I'm not going to allow these mother fuckers to take this organization down. I'm stopping them."
"What do you need from me?" he asked.
"We need more and more proof. We need to know who are the moles and rats and who can be trusted," said Fury.
"I'd say that out of your six Strike teams that five of them are compromised," said Steve. "I looked into the teams. Rumlow staffed the important positions in all but one."
Fury looked at Hill then he said, "We need Coulson, Romanov, The Countessa, Quartermain, Bobbi Morse, Melinda May, and Nordstorm. You add my name, yours, and Captain Rogers and that will be our core group for now."
"What about Barton?" Steve asked.
"When he returns from vacation we'll add him," said Fury.
"Let's gather everyone at an off site black site that few know about and let's do it for Friday evening. No one wants to play spy on Friday evenings. It's time we start taking SHIELD back," ordered Fury.
"Yes, sir," said Hill.
Fury looked at Steve and shook his head then he said, "I feel I owe you an apology, Captain. All that you did to stop Hydra and we allowed it to live and grow right under our nose."
"Maybe this is the reason I survived all those years in the ice, Director. My work isn't done yet," Steve declared.
"Until further notice, act normal. You have time off coming, so take it," Fury told him. "Hill will contact you with the where and when for Friday. We will fight this, Captain."
"Yes, sir."
AVENGERS
Fury arranged for Steve's apartment to be in the U Street Corridor right above a jazz club that played music Steve would appreciate. When he got home that night he ended up working until non reviewing files and the internet looking for clue how Hydra survive. He started to see a pattern. The old families of Hydra had survived, the aristocrats of Hydra, such as Zemo, Strucker, Zola, and even the scion of Jonathan Schmidt, the Red Skull. They not only survived, they thrived.
Wishing he could get drunk, Steve opened a bottle of MaCallan's 50 that Tony Stark had sent him. He poured a generous amount into a glass and drank it down. He poured himself another one and drank it down. The burn of the scotch felt good, but he missed the release of drunkenness. By six in the evening he was starting to feel hungry. The jazz club he lived above had good food, so he decided to go down and indulge himself.
Entering through a entrance that was little used, the manager of the club noticed Steve. He waved to him.
"Hey, man, you hardly ever come down. Can I get you a table? It's early, not much of a crowd," he said.
"A table and a menu," smiled Steve.
Steve followed him to a table in the corner not far from the stage. Looking through the menu Steve ordered the French onion soup for an appetizer followed by a double, bacon cheeseburger and waffle fries along with a Killian's Red. When his soup came, a singer sat at the piano and started to play and sing: "There was a boy... A very strange enchanted boy."
Steve ate his soup and listened to the music. If he couldn't get drunk then maybe he could lose himself in some music and then maybe do some sketching later.
"Hey, old man, you like old man, too," Natasha's voice startled him.
He looked over his should to see Natasha Romanov wearing black jeans, knee high black leather boots, a red silk shirt, and a long black leather coat. Not waiting for an invitation, she sat. A waitress noticed her and came over. Natasha ordered.
"I'll have a vodka martini and your turkey club sandwich," she said.
The waitress left them. Steve swallowed his anxiety. He had to admit that he was attracted to Agent Romanov but she was Clint's girl and he liked Clint. You never stole a pal's gal.
"Agent Romanov," he said, "this is a surprise."
"I talked to Fury today. He filled me in on what was happening. I thought you might need company," she said.
Steve smiled, "You worried about me, Agent Romanov?"
"Not so much worried as wanting to be in on the action, Rogers. Remember, Barton was tasked with assassinating me, a Russian assassin and spy. Instead of ending my life, he offered me a chance to work for the good guys and now I find that the good guys aren't all that good. I have blood on my ledger, the blood of innocent people. I'll have no more of that," she explained.
The vodka martini came. She sipped it and grimaced.
"I miss real Russian vodka," she said. "I might as well drink water."
"You miss Barton?" asked Steve.
"Miss Clint?" she smirked. "What do you think Clint and I are?"
"Partners," he answered. "And more."
"You think he's my boyfriend," she teased. "I don't do boyfriends, Rogers. Clint is closer to being a brother than a lover. I owe him my life."
"Oh," Steve exhaled.
"Are you looking for a girlfriend, Rogers?" she goaded him.
"No, Romanov, I'm not. I made a date with the woman I love as I prepared to fly the Valkyrie into the water. Recently, I found out she's in a home outside of DC in Virginia. She's ninety-seven and has Alzheimer's. I'm afraid to visit her. She hanging on to life and I look like I did the last time she saw me in person," he explained. "As I said I don't do well with woman or relationships."
"Sorry about that, Rogers," Natasha said sincerely. "See her. You need it. She probably needs it."
"I'll think about it," he said. "Until then, I want to find out all I can about Hydra and how it has survived."
"Now that I can help you with," said Natasha.
AVENGERS
Steve heard some rustling noises in his apartment. After several hours of talk and listening to jazz, he finally said goodnight to Romanov and went up to his apartment to go to bed. As he slipped into his bed he realized it had been days since he slept. He fell asleep within minutes, which was a change from most nights where he took hours to fall asleep because his mind wouldn't stop thinking of his past.
Hearing noises in his living room Steve shot out of bed, grabbed his shield, and headed into the living room to find Natasha sitting on his sofa drinking a large coffee. On the coffee table she had three stacks of files, as well as another large coffee and what looked like a box of two dozen donuts.
"Nice look, old man," she said with her patented smirk.
Steve realized his he was wearing only his boxer shorts and a white tee shirt, while holding his shield. His face turned beet red.
"Um... what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Well, I thought about what we talked about, so I headed off to SHIELD HQ, stole some files for us to review, and came back here with coffee and donuts," she told him.
"What are those files?" he asked.
"These files include every Hydra operative who was brought into SHIELD after war under Operation Paperclip," Natasha stated.
Steve stared at the files for moment then remembered who he was dressed.
"Let me get some pants on," he said then disappeared into his bedroom. A few moments later, he returned wearing gray sweatpants. He sat down on the sofa beside Natasha. She was reading a file.
"The coffee on the table is yours and feel free to have eight or nine donuts," she smirked.
"Thank you," he said.
He picked up a file and started reading it. The file was marked Level 10 Secret.
"Where did you get these files?" he asked.
"I used my brain. If I was Hydra how would I hide and I found the answer. About eight years ago SHIELD went from hard copies to digital. All our old files were supposed to be transferred to digital. Now if I was Hydra I wouldn't want some files transferred. These are those files, or, at least, some of them," she explained.
"How did you find them?" he asked.
"Again I used the gray matter," she smirked. "The old files were supposed to be kept for ten years then destroyed. I went to the storage area where the old files were stored and checked out those which were slated to be destroyed first in less than twelve months. I brought these up to your apartment. I have a trunk load more in my car."
Steve grabbed the coffee and took a sip. It was half and half and four sugars just the way he liked it. A smile crept across his face. Next he flipped open the bx of donuts and grabbed a jelly filled one.
"Predictable," Natasha said.
Steve blushed then he said, "Is everything about me predictable?"
"We'll see," she said.
She reached into the box and grabbed a chocolate iced donut with sprinkles. Natasha noticed that Steve was staring at her.
"I like sprinkles," she defended herself.
"You'll have to tell Fury about this," he said.
"I will," she replied.
"Good job, Romanov," Steve smiled, as he ate his donut and reviewed a file.
"The name is Natasha. Try it sometime, Steve," she said.
He grinned then he said, "Natasha."
AVENGERS
Friday came. Steve got an note slipped under his door early in the morning. They were to meet at the Navy Yard. The area where ships used to be built was empty, unused. SHIELD had setup a black site in one of the buildings. At four he was supposed come to Building 121. Steve spent the rest of the day jogging, exercising, and preparing himself.
At two he got a call from Natasha telling him that she'd pick him up at 3:30. As she said she needed help to carry the files to Fury. Steve showered at 3 then dressed. He out on jeans, a black tee shirt, his combat boots, and leather jacket. Putting his shield in the canvas sack he had made for it, he was ready. His cellphone rang. He answered it.
"Hello."
"I'm downstairs in my car, Old man. Are you ready for our date?" Natasha said.
"I'll be right down," Steve said.
She hung up. Steve laughed.
AVENGERS
Fury sat a conference table with Agents Hill, Quartermain, the Countessa, Coulson, Bobbi Morse, Melinda May, and Nordstorm. He had finished explaining the situation to them, when the elevator from the ground floor opened. Natasha walked out carrying a large box filled with files. Behind her Steve carried four large boxes filled with files. They walked to the conference table and put down their boxes.
"What's this?" asked Hill.
"This is how Hydra infiltrated SHIELD. It's proof," said Natasha.
Fury smiled then he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, grab a file and start reading."
"Couldn't we skip to the shooting stage?" asked Quartermain.
"Do you have more?" asked Fury.
"I have another ten boxes in my car," answered Natasha.
"Go get them," grinned Fury.
Natasha looked at Steve and smiled then she said coyly, "Steve, could you please help me carrying the heavy boxes?"
"Romanov, you really are a pain in the neck," he sighed then he turned and walked back towards the elevator.
"I have him eating out of my hand," she smirked then she followed him to the elevator.
"Hill, remind me to keep an eye on those two," Fury said.
"Yes, sir," smiled Hill.