Chapter Seventy Four

It was quiet as Ada and Steve made their way to the VA hospital where Sam had holding sessions with other veterans. When Steve first suggested that they stop by, she was more than surprised that he asked her to join him. But the more she glanced at him, the more she suspected something else had been bothering him. From what Sharon had informed her, Peggy Carter had an unusual visitor the other night. Ada swallowed hard as she wondered how many times Steve had tried visiting the elderly woman, only to find she wasn't the same as she had been back when they first knew each other.

He still cares about her, and understandably so, she reminded herself. Sure, Peggy might not have been the same, but she was still alive. And Ada suspected that was what mattered to Steve more than anything. He still had a piece of the past he could cling onto, despite what everyone kept telling him.

She tried pushing the unease aside, knowing that it would be good for him to get out and talk about whatever was bothering him. The problem was, she didn't even know where to begin. She was so tempted to ask if everything was okay, when it clearly wasn't. And Steve being as stubborn as he was, would refuse to admit something was on his mind.

Ada rose an eyebrow as she noticed Sam standing at the front of a room where a group of veterans were sitting. She chewed the bottom of her lip when she realized these were veterans who suffered from post traumatic stress. There were plenty of agents who suffered from similar symptoms after going through something traumatic. It was never easy finding a solution to the problem at hand, and it always had to be treated delicately, no matter the circumstances.

Today was no different. She and Steve stood a few inches from the doorway as they listened to a young woman share a story with the others.

"The thing is, I think it's getting worse," the woman started, "A cop pulled me over last week, he thought I was drunk. I swerved to miss a plastic bag. I thought it was an IED."

Sam gave a nod of understanding, showing that it was safe for her to share what had recently happened. It was something anyone who'd suffered from similar experiences could relate to. Ada couldn't help but find herself admiring Sam for the fact that he was willing to talk with these people. There weren't many who had that kind of patience, regardless of who the victim was.

"Some stuff you leave there, other stuff you bring back. It's our job to figure out how to carry it. Is it gonna be in a big suitcase or in a little man-purse? It's up to you."

Sam glanced over his shoulder and spotted them standing nearby, giving them a nod before he turned to face the group and bid them farewell.

"I'll see you next week," the woman said to him as she walked past him.

"Yeah," he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah."

He gave her a small smile, leaving the group to gather their belongings and to let them speak to one another. Ada rose an eyebrow as she watched them talk. She wasn't surprised to see how close they were as a group. She supposed it sometimes took more than a couple of sessions for these people to speak up, and for others, it was easier.

"Well, look who it is. The runner and his girlfriend," Sam greeted them with a warm smile as he reached them, smirking in amusement as heat immediately rose to Ada's cheeks.

Steve looked equally uncomfortable at the sudden gesture, though she noticed with a start that he hadn't denied it either. She couldn't help but glance at him self-consciously as realization dawned on her. She would have thought for sure that after what happened, he wouldn't want anything to do with her.

"Caught the last few minutes," Steve started. "It's pretty intense."

"It's good to see someone cares so much about this community," Ada put in with a small smile.

"Thanks," Sam nodded his thanks. He looked between them thoughtfully, "But the truth is, they're the ones who usually take the initiative to talk. We all got the same problems. Guilt. Regret."

"You lose someone?" Steve asked.

Ada winced at that. It was clear from the way his expression wavered that Sam had experienced personal loss.

"My wingman, Riley. Fly in the night mission. A standard PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before, till RPG knock Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch."

His voice was tight with guilt and grief, and Ada couldn't help but reach out for his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. She'd watched enough people die in her lifetime to know what it was like losing someone.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

She hadn't missed the fact that Steve's brows furrowed together at Sam's story. She knew he was thinking of his friend Bucky. Bucky's death still affected Steve even after all these years, and all at once, she understood why. He felt guilty for what had happened to his best friend, despite what everyone tried telling him.

"After that, I had really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?" Sam shrugged and looked away.

Ada gave a nod of understanding, realizing that he and Steve were similar in that aspect. Both suffered from survivor's guilt, and she had a feeling that no amount of therapy could resolve the way they felt.

"But you're happy now, back in the world?" Steve asked.

"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell, yeah." Sam smirked before glancing at Steve warily. "You thinking about getting out?"

That was enough for Ada to glance at Steve anxiously. There was a time when she couldn't imagine doing anything other than work for SHIELD. Now, she wasn't even sure if she could trust the agency. After the mess on the Lemurian Star and everything else, she knew she needed to start looking at other options.

"No." Steve's brows furrowed together, and Ada couldn't help but glance at him self-consciously as she realized that he was second guessing himself. Though, she couldn't necessarily blame him for wanting to look into finding options outside of SHIELD, especially after what Fury had said. "To be honest, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she considered her own options. She knew that if worse came to worse, Tony would be willing to take her in again. But a small part of her wanted to continue being independent. She loved Tony for what he'd done for her, and for the fact that he'd changed his ways because of her, but she also wanted to prove that she could survive on her own.

"Ultimate fighting?" Sam suggested with a sly grin. Ada couldn't help but grin herself, especially as Sam's eyes flicked between herself and Steve. "It's just a great idea off the top of my head. But seriously, you could do whatever you put your mind towards. What makes you happy?"

The silence that followed was almost unnerving. And when Ada suddenly felt Steve's eyes boring through her, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious. They had been happy together when they first moved to Washington. Not for the first time, she suddenly found herself wishing that she could have refused Fury's orders.

"If I was being honest, you made me happy." Heat immediately rose to Ada's cheeks when she realized he was looking at her. Even Sam looked a little surprised at his confession, though it didn't last. Instead, his face morphed into a smirk of amusement as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What I mean is—"

"Steve, it's okay," she interrupted before he could backpedal. "If we're being honest with each other, the feelings are mutual."

She offered Steve a small smile, suddenly realizing with a start that it was true. The last few months had been hectic. There were far too many times when she wished she could have defied Fury's orders and turned her back on him. Now that Steve knew the truth, she knew lying to him hadn't been the answer. The only thing they could do now was work from there and rebuild the trust they had been working on since they first met.

…

It was late by the time Ada and Steve returned to their apartment. Neither were sure what to say after talking to Sam that afternoon. Ada knew that Steve had a lot to think about. After the incident with Director Fury and her part in lying to him for so long, she understood why he was so confused and annoyed. Giving him the chance to think things through seemed like the best idea at the time. She didn't want to push him into anything he was uncomfortable with, especially given the circumstances.

Still, she was surprised when Steve suddenly took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Ada glanced at Steve self-consciously when she felt him watching her.

"I meant what I said back there." For a moment, Ada wasn't sure what he was referring to until she recalled what he said at the VA hospital. "If I was being honest, I am glad that SHIELD asked you to help me get acquainted with today's technology."

She couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she leaned into him. When she first agreed to teaching him, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Steve had been entirely new to the world of modern technology, and it had taken more than a few weeks for her to get him acclimated to it all. And though they tested each other's patience, she realized with a start that jumping to said agreement had been the best choice she could have made.

"I'm glad that someone feels that way," she remarked. "I haven't exactly done anything to earn your trust."

Steve didn't miss her hidden message. He let out a sigh and suddenly gave her hand another squeeze. He hadn't realized until they met up at the Smithsonian how much her secret had affected her. Hearing her now only left him feeling guilty for reacting the way he had.

Neither of them said a word as they finally reached the apartment. Ada desperately wanted to say more… to make up for everything that happened. But before she was given the chance, she heard a familiar voice ringing from upstairs.

"… That's so sweet. That is so nice. Hey, I gotta go, okay. Bye." Sharon Carter. The woman had been assigned to live across from their apartment as a neighbor. Ada had only ever met Sharon once or twice throughout her time spent at the agency, and both times hadn't ended on a high note. Sharon scrutinized her every move, eyeing her up and down while offering Steve a pleasant smile. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac," she explained with a sheepish smile.

Ada rose an eyebrow when she tried her best to hide the nursing outfit she wore anytime Steve was around. He had no idea that she worked for SHIELD, or that she was assigned to keep an eye on them. To him, she was just Kate, the neighbor who worked at the hospital. The only reason Ada had known was because she already knew Sharon, and the woman had confronted her one morning before she went to the Treskelion for work. That encounter hadn't exactly been a pleasant one. The good news was, Sharon had remained as professional as she could, especially when Steve was around.

"Sounds a bit like my father," Ada rolled her eyes. She pictured Tony being in the lab at that moment due to not being able to sleep. He'd been working on that over the last few months, and with some help from Pepper, he'd been somewhat successful. "He has a tendency to sneak away and work in the labs until dawn. Drives Pepper up the wall because of that."

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Sharon shook her head in amusement.

Her fingers tapped the basket of laundry she was holding absentmindedly while she looked between Ada and Steve. Ada glanced at Steve from the corner of her eye, nearly rolling them again when she saw him staring at Sharon for a few seconds.

"Hey, if you want… if you want, you're welcome to use our machine," he offered. "It might be cheaper than the one in the basement."

Not for the first time, Ada was struggling not to smirk when Sharon looked a little uncomfortable being put on the spotlight again. This hadn't been the first time Steve tried inviting her over. He was curious, and Ada couldn't blame him for that. He knew there was something vaguely familiar about Sharon, though he couldn't pinpoint why. Ada was well-aware of who Sharon's grandmother was. Coulson used to tell her all sorts of stories when they were together about Peggy Carter and how she and Howard Stark were the brain children of the agency.

"Oh, yeah?" Sharon tilted her head to one side, looking rather interested in the idea of meeting up for a drink or two. "What's it cost?"

"A cup of coffee," he replied.

In other words, he wanted to get to know her better. Again, not that Ada couldn't blame him. She had to admit, Sharon was easy on the eye. Any man would find it difficult not to feel obliged in getting to know her. Still, that didn't stop Ada from feeling the faintest spark of jealousy.

"Thank you, but um… I already have a load in downstairs, and, uh…you really don't want my scrubs in your machine," she explained reluctantly. "I'm just finished orientation in the infectious diseases ward, so."

Well isn't that thoughtful of you? Ada wanted to spit out. She wisely kept her mouth shut, knowing that wouldn't get her anywhere. Steve was oblivious to it, which for his sake, was probably a good thing.

"Ah, well, I'll keep my distance," Steve reassured her.

"Well, hopefully not too far." Ada crossed her arms and nearly rolled her eyes at the exchange. She knew she was pushing her luck around them. "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on."

She added the last part with a smile before turning back towards the stairs. Ada rose an eyebrow as she caught the look Steve was giving her. She hadn't left the stereo on before she left the apartment, and she knew he wouldn't have left it on. Something wasn't adding up.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," she muttered under her breath.

"About Kate? Or the record player?" Amusement swept across Steve's face until she rolled her eyes at him. "I didn't leave it on before we left."

"That's what worries me," she retorted as she led the way towards the apartment.

Ada wasn't surprised to find that Sharon was right. As they reached the door, she could hear music playing loudly in the background. She exchanged a worried look with Steve, knowing full-well that if someone had broken into their apartment, nothing good would come out of it.

A ball of flame appeared on the palm of her hand, and Ada braced herself for whatever confrontation would follow. Steve was equally cautious. Ada glanced at him self-consciously as they slowly opened the door, carefully peering inside to find that the all the lights were off.

Nothing good ever comes out of approaching a broken-in apartment with the lights off, she thought after recalling some of the horror movies Tony used to make her watch. She'd always hated the fact that he would make her sit with him and watch the movies whenever a babysitter wasn't around. Now that she looked back at it, she realized how badly portrayed some of those movies really were.

Fortunately, neither of them had to worry about a scene from a movie playing out. Ada's eyes narrowed in surprise when she saw a familiar figure slouched on the recliner chair near the window. She was even more surprised to notice that he was in bad shape upon closer inspection. Ada shared a look of concern with Steve, not missing the fact that he was bleeding out on the chair from what appeared to be deep wounds.

"I don't remember giving you a key," Steve remarked after recovering from his initial surprise.

With a sigh, Ada finally dropped her guard and cautiously approached. A wound like that needed to be treated immediately, and she wasn't sure if her powers would be enough. But when she approached, Fury suddenly rose his hand and stopped her in her tracks.

"You really think I need one?" he gave a dry chuckle. "My wife kicked me out."

"Didn't know you had a wife," Ada murmured. "A wound like that needs to be treated, and I sure as hell don't plan on letting anyone die on my watch."

Fury just threw her a scathing look, though she was even more surprised when he smirked in amusement. She knew he was likely delirious from blood loss, but that didn't help settle the sudden unease sweeping through her.

"Now I know what Barton was complaining about." She tried not to smirk at the mention of Clint and his distaste towards being her handler. The archer hadn't been happy with the prospect at first, but eventually they learned to work together. He'd become a good teacher, despite their differences. "But that's not the point… there are a lot of things you don't know about me."

"I know, Nick." Steve had already reached for the light switch, turning it on to assess the damage. "That's the problem."

Ada's eyes widened in disbelief when she finally had a better view of his injuries. He'd suffered from several deep cuts that were bleeding heavily, and it looked as if he had lost a lot of blood already from the stains she could pick out. Ada let out a heavy sigh and approached him once again, shooting him a glare that dared him to argue with her when she began healing his injuries. That didn't stop him from turning the light off again. It wasn't until he typed out a message on his phone that Ada understood the reason behind his behavior.

'Ears everywhere.'

Once again, Steve shared an uneasy look with Ada as realization dawned on them. A shiver swept through her as she worked on healing the worst of Fury's injuries. It took everything she had to ignore the exhaustion that followed; she knew she was pushing herself, but she had to.

"I'm sorry I had to do this, but I had no place else to crash," Fury explained.

Then he typed something that left her stomach lurching with horror.

'SHIELD compromised.'

Her heart was beginning to race for a whole different reason as panic began kicking in. She'd known something was up the moment Fury assigned her to work with Natasha. He hadn't entirely trusted the agency himself, and now she suddenly understood why.

"Who else knows?" Steve asked warily.

"Just… my friends," Fury replied as he struggled to sit up.

He typed another message, this time letting them know just the two of them were aware of the news.

"Is that what we are?" Steve demanded.

"That's up to you." Her eyes widened when she heard the gunshots that suddenly rang in the air. The window collapsed moments later as Fury fell to the floor. I didn't miss the fact that someone was standing there just moments ago. The figure in front of the window suddenly disappeared as Steve struggled to drag Fury's body to a safer place. "Don't… trust anyone!" Fury choked out as he put a flash drive in Steve's hand.

"Captain Rogers?" Sharon's voice sounded from outside. Ada held her breath as she tried healing the bullet wounds, but even with her powers, she wasn't able to do anything. The wounds were too deep. She could already feel the energy draining from her body, causing her to internally shut down. "Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD's Special Service," she explained when Steve looked at her in confusion.

"I can't heal him," Ada whispered, her breath finally releasing in a gusty sigh.

"Kate?" Steve asked, glancing at Sharon in surprise.

"I'm assigned to protect you."

"On who's orders?"

"His." Sharon looked down at Fury and suddenly shoved Ada to the side. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive, I need EMTs immediately."

It wasn't until feeling Sharon's gaze bore through her that Ada realized how dizzy she felt. She struggled to maintain her composure, glaring in the direction of the window where the figure once stood. If she had the strength to go after the shooter, she would have gladly done so.

"Do you have twenty on the shooter?" a voice sounded through her radio.

"Tell them I'm in high pursuit," Steve replied.

All at once, Ada's attention returned to Fury as Steve rammed into the window and smashed his way through. Her eyes felt heavy as she tried healing Fury's wounds once again, only to be pushed aside by Sharon once more.

"Don't," she warned me. "His wounds are too deep, even for you to heal."

"I'm not letting him die," Ada snapped, glaring at her as she struggled to stand up, only to fall down again.

Sharon suddenly reached for her arm, catching her just before her legs gave out from sheer exhaustion. She couldn't bring herself to stop now when she was so close. Ada's heart sank even further as she realized that she was fighting a losing battle. The harder she tried, the worse it got. She knew at that point that she'd lost the fight. And she had a feeling that things were only going to get worse from there.

AN: Wow, it's been a while since my last update. I'm sorry about that. Between getting easily distracted and so many things happening at once in my life, I just didn't have the chance to write anything. I'll try to get another update before the end of the year, but I can't make any promises. Special thanks to everyone who kept up with this story, and to anyone who might still be interested in it ^^"