Six

“So that’s the plan, then?” Steve raised an eyebrow at me. I nodded. He and Bucky looked at each other over their cheap bottled beers. They both looked concerned.

I’d told Steve that I’d been formulating a plan, a few hours earlier. I’d needed a little more time to get it all straight in my head, so he and Bucky had spent the afternoon doing whatever it is they did together- cleaning guns or polishing that ridiculous purple monstrosity that was Cap’s shield in disguise. I’d come down the stairs a little after 4pm, and we’d gone out to get dinner. Now we were sitting in the back of a dimly lit bar, and I had just finished telling them the details of my plan. Well, most of the details. There were some things I couldn’t tell them, not even Steve.

“Yes, that’s my plan. Considering the circumstances, I believe it’s the best we can do.” I took a drink of my beer. Honestly I didn’t know why any of us were even drinking beer; it’s not like it did anything for us after the serum.

“You’re going to be putting a gigantic target on your back by doing this, Six.” Steve finally said to me.

“Every Hydra agent in France, and anywhere close by for that matter, is going to be looking for you.” Bucky agreed with Steve. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.” I nodded firmly. “I need to kill the One Thousand before they find out where Marina and Luc are and send it after them. I don’t know where he is; so I have to make him come to me.”

“That makes sense… but they have a lot of other people working for them who they can send after your family.” Bucky pointed out. “You know this. I don’t know how many, but there are probably more where we came from.”

“Not to mention regular old hired guns.” Steve peeled the label off of his bottle. He was sitting next to me, and I knew he was trying to be supportive, but what I’d just suggested was reckless and we all knew it. But it was the only way I could think of to keep my daughter and her father safe. Or safer.

“I know. But he’s the most dangerous.” I took another drink. “Plus, once my identity is out in the open, there’s less of a reason for Hydra to try to kill them. They can’t do it to shut me up if I’ve already told everything I know, and they can’t do it so I’ll come back because it will be obvious I’m not going to. My hope is-”

“That assassinating them will be too public.” Steve finished for me. I shook my head yes. “They’ve been keeping a low profile lately, it might work. But what will you do once the whole world knows who you are? They might throw you in prison for treason.”

I regarded him doubtfully. “I’m not worried about that. I’ll be too valuable of an asset. Besides, I’m fairly sure I could get out of a prison. If they send me to one, I won’t be there for long.”

“Shit, if you can’t get out, Tony Stark might build a prison just to see if he can spring you from it.” Bucky smirked.

“I’m not going to stay in the light forever. Once the One Thousand is taken care of, I’ll go into hiding.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “Then we’ll enact phase two. And we’ll see what happens. You think Tony has the technology to make that a possibility?”

Bucky looked down at his bionic arm. The original had been made by Hydra scientists- the one he currently sported was upgraded by Stark Industries. “I know he has the technology, and we have the team to do it.”

“Yeah, that’s not the part that worries me.” Steve was obviously extremely concerned that this plan was not going to work. However, short of killing every person who had anything to do with Hydra and putting my family in witness protection, it was the only thing we had going for us.

“I can take him out myself.” I told them, speaking of the One Thousand. “He’s not very smart, he’s just strong. You don’t have to put yourselves in danger.”

Steve and Bucky exchanged a look. I knew Bucky probably didn’t really give a shit, but he would follow Steve anywhere. And Steve wasn’t going to let me take on Hydra alone. “You’re plenty strong enough to take him out, but you aren’t strong enough to defeat everyone they send your way. No one is.” Steve reached over and took my hand. “We’re with you, all the way.”

I looked at Bucky uncertainly. “Even you?”

Bucky glanced at Steve, and then turned to me. “Yeah, Six. Even me.”

* * *

That night, a somber mood had fallen over the safe house. We’d contacted Dan, to help put our plan in motion. He had something I needed. We would meet up with him in the morning and events would begin to unfold. Tony was working on phase 2; Natasha, Clint, and Mayday would be taking care of that in a few days.

Steve was still in the shower. I’d gotten out and put on pajamas. I opened the closet door and looked at the blue suit that I’d bought for tomorrow. It was called a ‘power suit’ and when I had put it on, it had made me look and feel pretty good. It reminded me of the suits I had worn to work in the seventies, only more streamlined. It looked like I meant business. And I did.

I heard the water turn off in the bathroom, and a few minutes later Steve came out. His hair was wet, and had dripped on the collar of his tight red tee shirt. He saw me in the closet doorway, still looking at the suit. Below it was my knapsack- it had several days worth of clothes packed into it.

“You sure you want to do this?” He asked me, moving across the room and standing behind me. I could feel his body heat radiating into me, he was so close, yet not quite touching me.

“Yes.” I replied, not turning around.

“You’re really going to go into hiding after this is all over?” He sounded sad.

I nodded, reaching out and touching the fabric of the suit. His arm slipped around my waist, and he pulled me against him. I turned around, linking my arms up under his and running them up his back. I rested my face against his chest.

“Will you come back?” He finally asked. “To me?”

I pulled back and looked up into his eyes. “Yes. I’ll come back, yes. If I can.” I closed my eyes. “I’m not leaving you, Steve. I have to make sure they’re safe. I have to watch them. But if it’s possible, I’ll find my way back. I promise.”

He smiled sadly. I had every intention of coming back, but we both knew the situation was dicey and we were dealing with a whole organization of psychopaths. Not to mention various bureaucracies around the world with Hydra infiltrating their ranks. Nothing was certain, as much as we’d like it to be otherwise.

“I’ll wait for you.” Steve said quietly.

“Are we… are we there yet?” I asked. “Are we at that point? How far are we going to take this?”

“As far as you want to take it.” Steve looked down at me earnestly. “I’ve given myself over to whatever it is, Six. If you want me, I’m yours. If you don’t, then it was a good time. After all you’ve been through, I can’t ask for anything more from you.” He reached up and tucked a strand of bleach blonde hair behind my ear. He smiled slightly. “I knew it was a terribly idea from the get-go. But you were worth it.”

I thought about this for a while. I really cared about Steve. More than I had thought would be possible at this point in time, or ever again, really. I’d come out of Hydra an emotionless killing machine hellbent on redemption. Now I had my feelings back, and I knew redemption wasn’t a real possibility for myself, or for Bucky. I could ever make up for the things that I’d done, but I was learning to live again. And I didn’t want to leave. God, how I didn’t want to leave. The more I thought about it, the more sure I’d become. My plans were going to throw a wrench in everything, but I would be back if I possibly could be. And as soon as I could be. I needed him to know that my faith and my future were deeply rooted in him.

I stared at my feet. “I do want you.”

He seemed surprised. “You… you do?”

I nodded. “Yes.” My eyes met his again. “It’s not going to be easy.”

“Nothing worth doing ever is.”

“I’m sorry I have to leave. It’s not even right that you wait for me.”

“I’m offering to wait.” He lifted my chin up. “I’ll do it gladly.”

I smiled softly. “Then I’ll try my hardest not to make you wait too long.”

“So your my best girl now, eh?” He looked at me, his face kind of red.

“Is that what it’s called?”

“That’s what it was called in 1945. I have no idea what the crazy young people are calling it these days.”

“Then yeah. I guess I’m your best girl.” I paused. “I kind of like that.”

We stood there, smiling like idiots even though my plan was ridiculous and neither of us were really sure we’d make it back to each other. But for tonight, we were safe with the knowledge that we belonged somewhere, and to someone.

“I guess we deserve to be happy, just like everyone else.” Steve finally said.

“I’m not sure if I deserve it, but I’ll take it if I can get it.” I admitted.

“We’ve both lived way too long to not let ourselves have this.”

“That’s for sure.”

“At least we’re relatively good-looking, for being ninety-eight and sixty-six.” Steve grinned. I giggled.

“We didn’t fare too poorly. I’d say we aged pretty well.” I ran my hand up his chest. “At least, you did. I’m still young.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

“It’s scandalous, really. My girl is 32 years younger than me.”

“I’d think Captain America had more morals than that.” I replied dryly.

“Guess not.” Steve shrugged. “I’ve been upholding virtue for way too long. Maybe it’s time to play it fast and loose.”

“Well you’re in luck, Steve. It appears virtue was never my strong suit.” I was glad we could joke about our awful predicament. Steve didn’t see me as 'Six the assassin,’ or 'Y/N the possibly morally bankrupt spy.’ It was obvious he saw me as 'Six the woman who had run through the fire and come out the other side, and who would protect her family at all costs.’ He only saw the good parts of me. And I didn’t see Steve as 'Captain America the ever-virtuous soldier,’ or 'Steve Rogers the scrawny kid from Brooklyn’ that he’d told me he used to be; I saw him as 'Steve, the really good man who had been there when I needed him and wanted to protect everyone he knew.’ Even though that might end up hurting us both in the end, it was good enough for me.

“What time are you heading out in the morning?” Steve had rested his hands on my hips.

“I need to meet Dan at the coffee shop down the street from the office at eight. I was hoping you could drive me.”

“Of course I will.” He nuzzled his lips against my neck, laying soft kisses up to my ear. “It’s still early. Were you planning on going to sleep yet?” He whispered, sending chills down my body as his breath hit my skin.

“Not particularly.” The corners of my lips upturned, and I closed my eyes. He had continued kissing, this time back down my neck, to my shoulder.

“Good.” He looped a finger through the strap of my satin night shirt, pulling it down off of my shoulder and continuing the line of kisses to my collar bone, over my scar from where Bucky had shot me so long ago. “I have a better idea of what to do tonight. I don’t know when I’ll see my best girl again.”

I let out a soft moan as he kissed lower and lower. I leaned back, bracing myself against the closet door. “Better make it count.”

His grin turned devious. “I’m planning on it.” He agreed.

His hands traveled up my body to the back of my tank top. It had a seam up the middle of the back. He bit me playfully on the neck. “How attached are you to this nightshirt?”

“Not very. It’s not even mine. I found it in a drawer.” I gripped the door jamb as he nipped me lightly with his teeth. I reached over and flipped out the lights. “I think it’s Nat’s.”

“Good. She won’t miss it.” I felt him grasp the back of the satin nightie and pull it roughly, ripping it down the back and off of my body with strong hands. “I’ll buy her a new one.” He said, his voice low and sultry. I liked this side of Cap. I’d always liked the take-charge side of him. It only came out on occasion, but when it did, it was extremely sexy. He threw the remnants of the silky black shirt somewhere behind him, and brought his lips to mine. I kissed him back, a kiss that was both desperate and relentless. I didn’t know how long the memories of tonight were going to have to last for both of us.

He picked me up and pressed me up against the wall, my legs around his waist. He was incredibly strong. I made quick work of his tee shirt, sliding my hands up his abdomen and chest, over the scar where, ironically, Bucky had shot him as well, pulled the shirt over his head, and dropped it to the floor.

“God, I’m glad I met you.” Steve told me in a frantic whisper, each word interspersed between kisses.

“I made things complicated.” My words were sporadic, between kisses as well.

“It doesn’t matter.” He pulled back for a second, running his hand through my hair and down behind my neck. “It was worth it.” He went in for another kiss, and carried me over to the bed. “You’ll always be worth it.”

* * *

“Are you ready?” Steve turned to me and looked at me from behind mirrored aviator sunglasses. It was morning, and we were across the street from a cafe in Paris. I could see Dan sitting out front on a bench, a newspaper in his hand and a to-go cup in the other. Steve had on a hooded sweatshirt.

I nodded. “I have to be. It’s happening now, whether I’m ready or not.” I replied. I took a deep breath, smoothing out the jacket of my dark blue suit. The blue color reminded me of Steve. I think that’s why I’d picked it. I pulled the handle of the door and opened it. Steve grabbed my hand.

“Be careful.” He told me. “If anything feels weird, cut and run.”

“I know. I will.” I checked to make sure I had Tony’s iPhone in my pocket. “I’ll let you know where I end up.”

Steve leaned over the center console and brought his lips to mine. I kissed him in return, then looked around. “Someone might have seen that.”

Steve shrugged. “Good for them.”

I stepped out of the car, grabbed by knapsack from the backseat, and crossed the street. We trusted Dan, but nevertheless we had prepared for a setup. Bucky was up on a roof down the street, the sights of his sniper rifle aimed our way just in case. Steve drove away, and I approached Dan.

“It’s a great morning, isn’t it, Dan?” I asked. I was seriously hoping he’d respond correctly. If he didn’t, it meant he thought we were already being watched. 

“It is, Y/N. Though I hear it might rain later.” He replied, standing up. I let out a sigh of relief. As far as we knew, we were still safe. That would change once we got to the DGSE. The sleepers there would notify Hydra as soon as I arrived; that was the plan. We would be safe while we were in the building- no one would attack in such an obvious setting. This evening, once I left, would be when things would get dangerous. “I’m parked around back. Let’s go.”

He began to walk and I followed him. “Did you get what I needed?” I asked.

He nodded, handing me a small envelope. “Wade went to Luc’s house. It was where he said it would be, in a box in the attic.”

“Was anyone lurking around Luc’s house?”

“Wade did say something about having to stab a guy who was waiting in the living room. So, yes.” Dan unlocked his car with the key fob and we both climbed in. “So far Marina’s house has been quiet, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t watching. I think Deadpool is getting bored patrolling empty houses.”

“Why did you hire Deadpool? I mean he seems very capable, but where did you find him?”

“I hired him because there is no way the DGSE would have him on their payroll. He’s too unstable.” Dan began to drive. “I met him several years ago when I went undercover. He was doing a small job for a member of the mob.”

“Sounds trustworthy.” I said sarcastically.

“Wade will work for the right amount of money. But he doesn’t cross his employers.” We stopped at a light and Dan continued. “He never seems to cash his checks, either. I can’t figure him out. But I go to him when I need to keep things quiet, and he’s never failed me before.”

I nodded.

“I need to know, because I don’t remember. What was I doing in Iran in the first place?” I asked.

Lagherty nodded. “We were a special team sent in at the beginning of the standoff. Just a few of us. We posed as a news team. Together with a spy supplied from Iran, we finagled permission to interview the second in command of the kidnappers.”

“I figured that much. But why us? What could a couple of people possibly do?” I asked.

“You don’t remember what you… what you did? Before Hydra?”

“Practically nothing.”

Dan paused. “You think you were just a spy then.”

“I figured there must have been something unique about me. But yes, I figured I was just a spy.”

“We were an elite team. We were supposed to go in and take out the kidnappers.” Dan stopped at a light. “All of us from France, and our liaison in Iran. All special ops. We were basically… what word would I use? Lethal grifters.” He explained. “We were high end, expertly trained, con artists.”

I let this sink in. I’d been more morally ambiguous than I thought. “Like the 'A-Team’.”

“You remember the 'A-Team’?”

“Yes. For some reason I do.”

“Yeah, we were like them. Only we were better.”

“We were hostage negotiators as well?”

“No. Not at all. There was never any negotiating once we got involved.”

“How were we going to do it?”

“Poison their water supply.”

“Oh.” I sat and thought about that as Dan started driving again. “I guess that would do it.”

Dan nodded. “We were going to poison the supply, and leave. No one would ever know it was us. The perpetrators would die, the US could get their people back. We had a backup plan as well. But we never got there.”

“What was that?”

“Shoot everyone. But it was less subtle.”

Yes, it was definitely less subtle. “Where’s Alfred?” I asked, realizing the driver wasn’t there. We were approaching the DGSE building, and Dan turned his car into the underground lot.

“He was overseeing the drop off this morning. In case things went south.” Dan parked. “He was down the street with a sniper rifle.”

“Alfred had a sniper rifle?” I looked at him strangely, thinking of the tiny little man with the paunch packing such a weapon. I was hoping he and Bucky hadn’t run into each other in th same building.

Dan nodded. “He’s ex- French Foreign Legion. He’s very useful to have around.”

We got out of the car and went up the elevator to the lobby. We walked to the security scanners. Dan slid his key-card through the computerized slot, put his gun on the conveyor belt, and walked through the scanner.

“Good morning Dan.” The security guard said.

“Good morning, Al.” Dan picked up his gun and put it back in the holster.

I stepped up.

“I’m sorry, ma'am, I can’t let you through. You can stay in the waiting room over there, and fill out this form for a day pass.” Al stopped me, handing me a clipboard.

I pulled out the envelope Dan had given me earlier. Out of it came an ID card. It was an old card, from 1979 to be precise. It had my photo on it. I handed it to Al the security guard.

“What is this?” He asked me. It was possible, no, probable, that the ID card was older than Al was.

“It’s my DGSE identification card. Please tell the director that Agent Marceau is in the lobby, and she’s reporting for duty. Tell them I apologize for being late.”

Al gulped. He clearly didn’t know what was going on. “Late?” He looked from the old card, back to me. “How is this… what? This card says 11/1979. Did you try to forge this?”

I shook my head. “No, you’re reading it right. I’m 36 years late, but I’d like to be debriefed on my mission.”

* * *

I’d caused enough of a fuss in the lobby, security called up his superior, and after Dan Lagherty had vouched for me, it kept going up the ranks. One person would call their superior, who had no idea what was happening, and called theirs. Soon I was in the office of the person in charge, a man named Etienne Depardeau. Dan and I were searched for weapons, and ushered into a plush room with a large oak desk. An older, graying man sat behind it. He stood as we entered, shaking Dan’s hand. He peered at me suspiciously, but reached out a hand to me, nevertheless. I shook it and took a seat.

He had a file on his computer screen. I glanced quickly at it. It was mine. My old photo looked back out at me. I quickly looked away. That woman was as much a stranger to me as everyone else, but Mr. Depardeau didn’t know that.

“We seem to have an… interesting situation on our hands.” Mr. Depardeau began.

“Yes. We do.” I agreed. He kept looking from the screen, back to me, as though double and triple checking to see if he believed it was indeed me.

“I’m inclined not to believe you, but, this does seem to be you.” He looked at me uncertainly. “Agent Lagherty has been going on for years about you being alive, and from what the intelligence community knows about the Hydra assassin known as the Winter Soldier… well, it’s time we start giving the reality of cryogenics some consideration.” He typed something into his computer and turned back to me. “May I see your identification card, please?”

I nodded and handed it to him. He studied it.

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

I started as early as I could, leaving anything regarding Bucky out of my tale after the fact that he was the one who initially took me. There was no need to drag him into it. Whether he wanted to ever be discovered was his business, not mine. I told him about the caravan being hit in Iran, about what I could remember of training. I told him about the One Thousand, and about leaving. I conveniently left out any mention of the Avengers as well. Dan and I had discussed, last night, that my story would involve remembering him, not anyone else. Again, I didn’t want the safety of my friends to be jeopardized.

After I had told him everything, Mr. Depardeau was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke. “You say you were given a serum?”

“Yes, sir, I was.”

“Not many people know about that serum, Ms. Marceau.”

“But you do?” I raised my brows.

He inclined his head slightly. “It’s in our files from WW2. The compound ingredients were lost.”

“Hydra found them.” I replied. “The formula works quite well.”

“If what you’re saying is true, you’re responsible for the deaths of 37 people that we know of. Some of those are French citizens. There’s no reason, right now, that I shouldn’t have you put on trial for treason.” He was regarding me coolly.

“I’d say you’re wrong, sir.” I began. “Hydra took total control of me for 36 years. I had no idea who I was. I can’t be held responsible for that.” I took a deep breath. I would always hold myself responsible for it, no matter what I was currently saying. “But regardless of the brainwashing, which you know happens in Hydra, I’m coming to you as a sign of good faith. I have information that I know you want. I need an amnesty agreement drawn up, and I’ll tell you everything I know about Hydra, including where several bases are.”

He knew I had called his bluff. After the SHIELD infiltration a year ago, every intelligence office was on high alert, worldwide. If I could give them Hydra, I wasn’t going to prison. That was all there was to it.

He picked up the phone. “Annette? Yes, please contact our legal team and the Chief Prosecutor. Also, assemble the team overseeing the Hydra investigation. We’ll meet them in conference room 2 in an hour. Tell them it’s urgent.”

* * *

I spent all day in conference room 2. First I told the DGSE legal team and the French Chief Prosecutor my story. I signed a bunch of documents, took a polygraph, and jumped through several other hoops to decide whether I was who I said I was. At first nobody believed me, and why should they? I was clearly a thirty year old woman sitting in front of them, claiming to be a 66 year old, dead agent.

The Chief Prosecutor convened with his legal team around lunchtime, and they granted my amnesty which would hold so long as I turned out to actually be Y/N Marceau. They made it clear that it only extended to France; I very well could be tried in other countries once news got out. I nodded and signed the paperwork. I wasn’t planning on staying in the limelight long enough for anyone to arrest me. I was coming in in a blaze of glory, giving out as much information as I could so that there would be no reason for Hydra to need me back, and leaving just as fast.

Once the legalities were over, the Hydra team was called in. I gave them the locations of several Hydra bases, including the one that had been cleared out after my escape, and the one Bucky and I had destroyed two days before. I was debriefed for hours, asked the same questions over and over. By seven o'clock, I was exhausted.

Lagherty and Depardeau had discussed a safe house for me to stay at this evening. I knew, of course, that by now someone in Hydra had to have been alerted. DGSE all knew about me, as did all of their lawyers, the French Justice system, and probably intelligence all over the world. I doubted anyone could keep a secret as big as this actually secret for long.

Dan drove me to the new safe house. It was to the other side of the city as the Avengers safe house. It was an old farmhouse. I’d told Dan to try to get me into one pretty far from the city. If I was correct, there was going to be a huge fight tonight and I didn’t want any civilians getting hurt when the One Thousand and any other Hydra commandos located me.

The DGSE left me with two agents to guard me. I rolled my eyes. These guys may be good at what they did, but they hadn’t seen the shit I’d seen. I was going to have to keep them safe, not the other way around. As we approached, I texted Steve the coordinates of my location.

Dan had driven us. Before he left, he stopped me. “Expect Deadpool. I have others watching the assets this evening.” He drove off. I watched him go. I wondered when Wade would show up, and wondered who he had watching my family. I made my way into the house.

The two agents were in the front room playing cards. It was dark, and after I’d eaten a quick dinner, I went to a back bedroom. I told the agents I was going to sleep, but of course I wasn’t. Abut half an hour later, the lights went out completely. I heard a commotion in the front room. My cell phone (Tony’s cell phone, actually) dinged, and a text arrived from Steve. “Incoming.” Was all it said. I crept down the hall and peeked around the corner into the front room.

“Hang on guys. Let me fix the lights.” A familiar voice said, and the room was once again bright as the lamps began to shine. I blinked a few times. Mayday stood in the middle of the room. “That’s better.” She said. She turned and smiled at Bucky. He grinned back and then returned to what he was doing. It looked like they had made up after Mayday had read us the riot act the day before.

Bucky was finishing shoving something into the coat closet.

“Are those the two agents?” I asked him.

He turned to me, shutting the door behind him roughly. “Yeah.” He gave the door a last hard push and I heard it latch. “They’ll be asleep until morning.”

A car pulled up outside. We all tensed, but Bucky waylaid our fears. “That’s Steve and Nat.” I went to the window and saw them both get out of the car. Steve was once again in Bucky’s black armor, the hideous purple shield at his side. I looked around. Everyone was wearing black. We really did look like bank robbers. Steve and Natasha approached the door. I could hear their conversation.

“What the hell did Tony do to your shield?” Natasha was asking.

“It’s a disguise.”

“It’s fucking awful. He couldn’t have just painted it black?”

“That’s what I said.” He opened the door and they entered the safe house. I looked at everyone.

“I didn’t realize I was going to have so many people show up.” I finally said.

“That’s what happens when one of the Avengers takes a liking to you. You all of a sudden don’t get just one of us, you get all of us.” Bucky said flatly. “Or most of us. The others are handling a hostage situation in… Nantucket of all places.”

Steve walked up to me, handing me a bag. I looked in it. Inside was the tactical suit that I had stolen from Hydra and a whole bunch of guns. I looked up at him. He kissed me on the cheek.

Natasha raised her eyebrows at Steve and gave him an amused look. “So when did this happen?”

“Uh….” Steve trailed off, turning red like he did every time his love life came up.

“A few days.” I answered truthfully.

“Does this mean Steve isn’t a virgin anymore?” Nat grinned slyly.

“I wasn’t a virgin! Come on, guys!” Steve rolled his eyes in defeat. Natasha was laughing. This had to be some running joke I didn’t know about. I wasn’t sure what Steve’s love life had consisted of before I came along, but from his prowess in the bedroom, I was petty damned sure he hadn’t been a 98 year old virgin.

“I’m going to go change. Steve, I need to talk to you.” I motioned towards the bedroom. He followed me back. I quickly changed into my tactical gear. He watched as I strapped my weapons to myself and laced up my boots. I finally turned to him. “I want you to be careful.” I told him.

“Always.”

“No, you aren’t. You put everyone first. You need to keep yourself safe.” I sat beside him. “I need something to come back to, Steve. And I want that to be you. I can’t do that if the One Thousand kills you.”

Steve nodded. “I’ll be careful.” He wove his fingers through mine. “You be careful too.”

I nodded as well.

“How will I get in touch with you when you’re in hiding? Are you going to keep Tony’s phone?” He finally asked.

“Yeah. I’m assuming it’s untraceable, since it belongs to Tony and he seems paranoid. But in case something happens to it and I can’t contact you… There’s an hotel. In Milan. The Boscolo. We used to use it as a safe haven if the situation got to dicey or if our cover was blown. I’d check in under the name Fiona Lanton. If anything happens and I can’t contact you, look for me there on the first of the next month.”

“That seems really… spy-thriller like.” He finally said. I just gave him a look.

“I’m a spy.”

“Just come back.” His eyes stared imploringly into mine.

“I will, Steve. I won’t be gone long. Just enough time to make sure my family really is safe.” I leaned over and kissed him. “I’ll be back. I swear.”

* * *

We had set ourselves up around the house. The lights were all off. I sat by the back door in a chair, my glock on the table beside me. My phone had vibrated. A text message from an unknown number.

Hey there Femme-Rambo, how’s the night treating you? I can see you but you can’t see me. Let’s take this metal man to recycling, how about it?

It didn’t take a genous to figure out the text was from Deadpool. I wondered where he was. I had a comm in my ear; some Stark invention that everyone was wearing as well. “Just got a text from Deadpool. He’s nearby.” I spoke into it.

“Roger that.” Natasha said back.

“Did everyone have enough caffeine?” Mayday asked.

“Supersoldiers don’t need caffeine.” Steve replied.

“No but us mere mortals do.” Natasha quipped back.

“Guys, quiet.” I heard Bucky growl. “I heard something.”

I had heard it too. I looked out the window. The driveway wrapped around the property, and from my vantage point at the back, I could see moonlight glinting off of three vans approaching. They were black and their lights were off, but they were there.

They stopped midway up the drive, and I saw a door slide open, and a mass of metal get out of the middle vehicle. It turned towards the house, towards us, and approached, followed by several other men in black with assault rifles.

“Guys, they’re here. And they brought the One Thousand.”