SEVERAL WEEKS LATER
The bright lights of New York City illuminated his azure eyes, revealing his pleasant facial features in the dark alleyway. Bethany couldn't help but shudder in shy pleasure, as goosebumps formed across her bare arms.
"My friends call me Bucky, but we aren't friends...are we?" he teased, grinning playfully in the darkness.
Her breath hitched in her dry throat, staring wide-eyed at the beautiful stranger. The alleyway they resided in was completely empty, adding confusing tension to their shared moment. He felt extremely close to her quivering figure, as Bethany quickly felt the terrible urge to be as near him as possible... Suddenly, his smirking face contorted into a sinister scowl, as his short, chocolate hair slowly proceeded to grow at an alarming rate. Bethany felt an abrupt sense of danger form in the pit of her breathless stomach, as the man she admired transformed into a terrifying-
"Bethany wake up!" an desperate voice shouted in her ear, rapidly rousing her from the awful nightmare.
Blinking her swollen eyes open, she quickly sat upright on Steve's bed, breathing heavily from the sleep-induced stress she had just experienced. Steve was leaning over her trembling figure, frowning in concern. Bethany quickly adjusted her sense of reality, glancing around the familiar room in panic.
"Did I do something-"
"No no it's okay Beth...you were just yelling. Really loud." he sighed with relief, placing himself beside her on the queen-sized bed.
He rubbed his weary eyes, much to Bethany's silent dismay.
"I'm sorry Rogers, I just had this disturbing dream..." she paused, unable to elaborate.
Steve creased his brow, waiting for her reason with obvious worry. She averted her eyes to the glossed floorboards, deciding it was better if she didn't explain. For the both of them.
"Well...you were naked-" she began, aware that his uncomfortable opinion would revert the solemn mood.
"Alright that's all I need to know." he quickly interrupted in embarrassment, as the familiar shine returned to his stern eyes.
She shrugged playfully, secretly relieved with his oblivious attitude.
"Hey, you asked."
"So, what are the other Avengers like?" Bethany asked with fake intrigue, desperate to make small talk with Natasha.
The other woman frowned slightly, taken aback by her strange question. It was another day on the training floor, as Natasha, Steve and Bethany prepared for their first mission working with the new recruit. Over the past couple of weeks since she had been awake, Natasha had been extremely distant towards her, usually going out of her prestigious way to avoid contact. Unable to recognize the reason, Bethany had reverted to small methods to befriend her fiery companion. Making conversation about something she would be proud of seemed like the right way to go about it.
"They're all men. That's all you need to know." she replied with a forced smile, quickly ignoring her confused presence once again.
Bethany gave an impatient sigh, frowning as she tied her messy chestnut hair into a bun. She wouldn't give up. Not yet. Maybe.
The training proceeded like any other day, except Natasha spectated with her usual judgmental expression. No matter where Bethany was, the other woman would always be at the corner of her unfocused eye, watching and analyzing her movement pattern with little enthusiasm.
"Is she suppose to be that intimidating?" Bethany whispered during one of their breaks, afraid that Natasha would overhear her.
Steve only smirked, shaking his head in amusement at her apprehensive attitude.
As the day gradually came to a close, Bethany quickly hurried out of the S.H.I.E.L.D HQ, enthusiastically hopping on to his parked motorcycle, excited to feel the calming breeze of the ride after a long day of training.
"I swear Summers, you like the bike more than me." Steve sighed, slinging his shield behind his back.
She quickly buckled her arms around his small waist, grinning into his broad shoulder.
"I could say the same about your shield." she quipped, promptly bracing herself for the enjoyable ride back to his cosy apartment.
She briefly heard his chuckling, quickly overtaken by the sound of his bike revving, as he proceeded to drive out of the empty car park. The brisk winds whipped through her saturated hair, sending pleasant chills down her spine. She adored this particular part of the day, as she could enjoy the view of Washington being quickly consumed by the persistent twilight. The sky was mixed with vibrant pinks and lavenders, as the sun began to settle underneath the darkened horizon. Buildings covered most of the light, surrounding the city in satisfying darkness. Bethany admired the atmosphere, as the streets weren't so busy when the day had finally ended. Stray cars littered the quiet streets as they pulled up in front of Steve's apartment complex, as she hardheartedly dislodged herself from the large bike.
"I'll see you tomorrow, my beauty." Bethany wailed with exaggeration, causing Steve to sigh playfully at her silly demeanor.
"Actually, she's technically my beauty."
"Who in their right mind would call that fantastic beast a SHE."
"Are you kidding?! SHE is graceful, angelic, has the most perfect curves-"
"Alright Rogers i'm just gonna stop you right..." her teasing quickly subsided as she stared in confusion at his apartment door.
The the entryway was slightly ajar, causing the pair to quickly glance at each other in suspicion. Silently, Steve pushed the rest of the door open, slowly edging into his apartment with caution. Bethany trailed behind, prepared to expect the worse from within the complex. Steve quickly equipped his shield, positioning it out in front of his large chest for protection. As they entered the gloomy hallway, gentle music quickly filled their alert ears, fueling their growing sense of danger.
"I was wondering when you'd get here." a voice called from the shadows, causing the pair to halt on the spot.
Gradually making their way towards the noise, Bethany and Steve braced themselves for the stranger, taken aback by Fury sitting on one of the large sofas. He sat awkwardly against the cotton, his large figure concealed in the darkness..
"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve said with suspicion lowering his shield in slight relief.
"You'd really think i'd need one?" Fury replied sternly, his voice lightly wavering.
Bethany, unable to accept this visit as a friendly one, frowned at his dark figure, concentrating on the environment around her. Closing her eyes, she silently scanned for any anomalies in the building, making sure it wasn't a ruse. She searched through the concrete surrounding them, as it was mind-numbingly cold against her senses. She disliked the mineral, as it was extremely hard to maneuver. The substance hadn't complied well with her commands in the past. Unable to grasp at any oddities in the building, Bethany quickly turned her attention back to Fury and Steve. Without her knowledge Fury had stood up from the sofa, limping towards Steve with uncertainty. Her eyes widened at his revealed damaged state, confusing Bethany even further.
"Just my friends." Fury continued with the conversation she had ignored, watching him raise his modern device to reveal the words, 'Us.'
Bethany quickly turned her attention towards Steve, who's expression was rapidly consumed with growing wariness.
"Is that what we are?" he replied in monotone.
Fury paused. He slowly considered his question, then smiled, startling Bethany, as she had never seen the man show any expression other than anger.
Suddenly, at the corner of her aura, she noticed the slightest shift in the area, just outside the apartment. Quickly crouching to the floor, she pressed her palm flat against the floorboards, once again concentrating on the slight vibrations surrounding them. She could see the building across the street from her mind's eye, containing no one else...aside from a crouching life-force with a metal appendage-
"That's up to you."
Abruptly realizing the figure was turned towards their direction, Bethany shouted in sudden warning, but it was too late. Two earsplitting gunshots exploded through the apartment wall, shooting cleanly through Fury with terrible accuracy. He shouted in immediate pain, collapsing to the floor from the impact. Bethany and Steve, still recovering from the shock, quickly came to his aid, pressuring the gaping holes in his chest with desperation.
"Holy shit..." she breathed in horror, as the warm crimson blood quickly drenched her shaking hands.
"Trust...no one..." Fury choked with strained effort, holding out a quivering hand.
Inside his blood soaked palm was a small metal rectangle Bethany couldn't recognize, startled as Steve took it from his hand without hesitation. Breathing hard, he quickly looked out the window, his eyes slanting in sudden anger.
"What's wrong Rogers? Do you see the assassin-"
"Captain Rogers? Miss Summers?" a cautious female voice called from the entry of the apartment.
"For fuck sake, what the hell is going on!" Bethany cursed in frustration, turning her head to investigate who the stranger was.
"I'm Agent 13, I was positioned across the hall to monitor you two daily." the woman answered, revealing herself behind the bookcase.
Bethany frowned in annoyance, inspecting her with alarming caution. Soft blonde hair covered her round face, as her piercing sky-blue eyes frowned with vigilance at the struggling trio. After a moment to observe the stranger, she came to the conclusion that she was unrecognizable, but Steve, on the other hand, stared at the girl with furious betrayal.
"On who's authority?" he ordered, his attitude darkening.
Agent 13's eyes quickly laid upon Fury's limp body, enlarging with shock.
"His."
She abruptly pulled out a modern device, shouting orders into the speaker with hurriedness; "Send backup we have an assailant on the roof-"
"Tell them I've got it covered." Steve snapped, quickly arising from the floor with determination.
Before Bethany could stop him, he was already out the door, chasing after the man with the metal arm. Breathing hard and continuing to put pressure on the large wound in Fury's wheezing chest, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread continue to rise in her tightened throat.
Welcome to the 21st century.