Author's Note: See, it didn't take that long to get this chapter up! I think that the plan from now on is to update on Mondays, at least through the summer. That way I have a backlog. This chapter got done on Friday, but I was able to start Chapter 6 because I didn't update until Monday, so there's that.

We're heading into plot development down here, so things are going to get a bit faster than normal. We may also have a bit of a time skip in a few chapters, because it's going to be fun when Steve and Mack officially move to Washington, and when a few other things happen. There's a lot coming up in recent chapters, so things are going to be fun.

Featured below: Mack keeping secrets, Connor backstory, set-up for Winter Soldier, and other fun things. As always, anything you recognize below is owned by Marvel, and I own my original characters and my interpretations on them. Hope that everyone enjoys, and please leave a review on the way out!

Idiosyncrasy
Two months after New York, as they figure out their relationship and place in a new world, Mack and Steve find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens all they hold dear.

Chapter 5 – The Lost Ones

July 6, 2011

"So he just called you?"

Mack sighed, stuffing her bag with the clothing that had been strewn about the floor. "He sent me a text," Mack corrected, looking back over at Steve when she saw him packing. "He said it's an emergency. He wouldn't call me on vacation unless it was an emergency."

After the fallout of her and Steve's fight from her mishandling of the HYDRA investigation, Steve and Mack had agreed that they were going to keep from lying to each other. They would tell each other the truth, and they wouldn't shut each other out. Thus far, it had been working out well. They were closer than ever, and Mack's heart fluttered slightly at the memory of their first I love yous only a few days before.

But what Mack couldn't do was tell Steve that Pamela Hawley had called on her. She couldn't tell him that she was doing this to protect Clint from being prosecuted for what he had done under Loki's control. Beyond the fact that Pamela Hawley had promised that her protection of Clint had been rescinded should she tell anyone their arrangement, she did not want to get Steve involved in this mess.

Steve would try and figure out a way to get her out of it. Or worse, Steve would tell Clint. Mack had gotten herself into this mess, and she would get herself out. All she had to do was wait it out, wait until the mess of New York had died down and Clint wouldn't be at risk.

She had to protect Clint. That was her priority, and she would do whatever she had to. Even if he didn't want her to.

"We aren't exactly on vacation though," Steve pointed out, sighing as he pushed a few more clothes into the bag. Typically, Steve would make sure that everything was put in neatly to save space. They didn't have time for that. "We're both on medical leave. I haven't even started yet. You'd think Fury would want his Avengers to be rested up."

"I know," Mack replied, knowing that there was an edge of defeat in her voice. She already felt exhausted, and she hadn't even started on whatever this mission was yet. Damn, she did not want to do this at all. "But Fury does what he wants to. He always has."

She wasn't surprised that Steve caught the frustration in her tone. Steve paused in the packing, sighing before moving over to her. "Come here," he said, wrapping his arms around her, tucking her head underneath his chin. She moved back to him, not needing a second invitation.

Mack practically melted into his arms, sighing as she hid her face in his chest. She hated this. She hated the fact that she was going to need to leave to go on this mission. She hated the fact that she was lying to Steve about it. She hated thinking about how he was going to react when he inevitably found out about what she was doing.

Mack hated the fact that she was in this situation at all. But she didn't regret it. She had to keep repeating to herself that this was to protect Clint, the way that he'd tried to protect her over the years, after Australia in particular. This was repaying a debt, protecting a friend.

She hoped that Steve would understand that, whenever he did find out about this.

For the moment, she could appreciate this hug, how steady and strong and warm he was. Steve had called her his rock once or twice before, but Mack honestly believed that Steve had no idea how much she relied on him too. She knew how dangerous her job was, how wet work did take a toll on her. He kept her grounded, and she needed it.

And as he finally let her go, a few moments too short, Mack sighed, pushing those thoughts away and trying to pull Agent Donahue back to the surface.

Their goodbyes to her family took only a few minutes. Her nephews and niece were clearly upset that she was leaving early, but she explained that she had to go work. There was a look on Grace's face that Mack only caught in the rearview mirror, something that was both concern and a quiet awareness.

She was reading too much into it. Mack's mother knew that she worked for SHIELD, and that Steve worked for it too. She didn't know that she was an Avenger, that Steve was Captain America. There was no way that Grace knew more than Mack had told her. There was absolutely no way.

"Where are we heading?" Steve asked simply, putting the shield in the back seat, easily in reach but hidden well enough under a knit blanket.

"Washington," Mack replied, getting into the passenger's seat as she leaned her head back, taking a deep breath as she tried to think of everything that she needed to do. She could raid the Triskelion's armory for a uniform and weapons. "I have to report to the Triskelion."

It only occurred to Mack then that she had no idea what Hawley was going to ask her to do. That scared her more than anything else.

Someday, I may call you to action. And you may not like what I ask of you.

Mack already hated what Pamela Hawley was asking her to do.

"I'll figure out something to do for a few days," Steve promised. He briefly wondered if he could drive up to New York for a few days, spend time with Natasha and Clint. He'd been wanting to get to know them a bit more than he already did. Or maybe he could go up to Boston and spend time with Tori on her maternity leave, finally meet Sam.

"We can get a hotel room, find somewhere for you to stay…" Mack pointed out. Their apartment wouldn't be ready until August. Mack dimly wondered if they were going to end up moving to Washington sooner than they thought they would.

Steve paused for a moment, a realization crossing his head when he realized it. "Actually… I think I know someone who lives in DC," he mentioned, turning his attention back to Mack. "We both do."

Mack frowned, looking back at her boyfriend before she realized who, exactly, he had to be talking about. "You really want to spend a few days with him?" she asked.

"He's a friend. Might be fun to hang out with him for a few days."

Mack gave a long-suffering sigh, shaking her head. "Don't do anything stupid with him."

"Who, me and him? Why would we ever do anything stupid?" Steve was pulling his phone out, already dialing the person in question.

"We're talking about the guy who hit a Chitauri with a swirly chair, and you, who jump out of planes without parachutes. Neither of you have much stopping your impulses."

"Birds of a feather flock together." Steve laughed, holding the phone to his ear. An answer came a few minutes later, and he smiled. "Hey, man. You interested in some company for a few days?"

July 7, 2011

"Aren't you getting your own apartment?"

"It's not ours until the first of August. Mack was supposed to be off, but Fury called her in on an emergency."

"…you're not staying here until August, are you?" Connor Hale scowled as he looked down at the German shepherd that had claimed his favorite armchair. "Because if you're staying until August, that thing's not taking my chair."

Steve rolled his eyes, setting down his brown leather bag before looking over at the hacker. "We're not staying here until August, Connor," Steve promised, sitting down on the couch and resting his elbows on his knee. "I'll only be here until Mack gets back, and then we'll go… somewhere. Until it's time to move to DC."

Connor gave a long-suffering sigh. "Well, Cap. Mi casa es su casa."

Though his reassignment had originally been to the Hub, Connor had somehow managed to score a second reassignment in less than six weeks, this time to the Triskelion itself. Steve had remembered that email and Mack mentioning Connor's new home, and so Steve found himself in a rather nice apartment in Arlington.

The lights from airplanes flying out of Dulles were clear from the sky, and Steve smiled slightly as he looked around. He didn't know what his and Mack's apartment was going to be like, but if it was like this one, he would be more than happy.

"I thought you were going to the Hub," Steve mentioned as he looked around the apartment.

It wasn't that bad of an apartment. Connor had admitted that it was small, but considering that he was the only one living in it, the size made sense. As Connor had mentioned, it had more than enough room for his entertainment set. Mack had mentioned wanting to check it out when she got back to DC. There was a massive, sectional couch where Connor had promised that he would be comfortable, and it had enough room for Arizona as well.

Steve was still struggling to get used to modern mattresses, though he wouldn't admit that to Connor. He was sure that he was going to be absolutely fine on the couch. He'd slept on the ground before, back in the war, and a couch was going to practically be the lap of luxury in comparison.

Connor laughed before going to his fridge, pulling out a few beers and putting them on the counter before going to the open laptop on the circular table near the windows of the porch. "Oh, I was. I was there for a total of… two weeks. And then Victoria Hand decided that she hated my guts."

"For no reason, I'm sure," Steve deadpanned, shaking his head as he sat across from Connor at the table.

Connor smirked, shaking his head. "I've got that personality," he replied simply. He passed the laptop over before saying, "And relax, I'm not hacking into anything. I'm ordering pizza for us for dinner. And I remember how much you eat, make your own pizza."

Steve nodded, playing a bit with the settings. He wasn't that bad at technology, despite the half joking belief of Connor's. "You know, I never found out your story," Steve pointed out, taking the beer. "You remember I can't get drunk, right?" he asked, glancing back at the brunet across from him.

"Yeah, but this is Stella. It's good beer. You can enjoy the damned taste." Connor didn't answer, sipping at his beer before adding, "Besides. It's a rule of mine that I don't drink alone. Because then I get drunk and do stupid things like post pictures of kiwi birds on the website of Roxxon or something."

Steve paused for a few moments, looking back over at him. "…have you done something like that before?"

"I think that's technically classified."

"You know, when people at SHIELD call something classified, that's basically confirming that it's true."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a SHIELD person. Technically. Willingly, at least." Connor shrugged lightly before looking back over at him, shooting him a look. "I'm not gonna lie, Rogers, I'm glad you called."

Steve nodded in agreement, sighing before looking back over at her, shaking his head before admitting, "It's… it's been a hard few months. Waking up from the ice, and our friend group? The diner group? Everyone helped a hell of a lot. Even you."

"Aww, I'm touched." Connor shook his head, sighing before taking another deep drink of the beer. "Most of our group is gonna be in DC. Cecelia's gonna be here in DC in about… a year. Probably around summer next year. Fury put her on a Helicarrier for a year. She said she wanted a change of pace."

"I haven't talked to her much," Steve admitted, though he knew that was partially his own fault. He hadn't talked to much of anyone other than Mack. He'd talked to Stark a few times. Natasha once. The Howling Commandos and Peggy were the ones he talked to the most, including Tori and Mack.

"Talked to her a few days ago, she's doing good. Cecelia's dating a guy now," Connor mentioned, shrugging lightly as he finished his beer, putting the empty bottle on the floor. He snorted slightly before saying, "Some Strike guy named Brock. Met him when I went to the Helicarrier for an assignment. Seems like a douche canoe."

"A douche canoe?" Steve echoed, shooting Connor an odd look.

"Stop with the judging look. We can't have all the swearing experience of a World War II soldier." Connor shook his head before saying, "My dad was a huge outdoors guy. Spent my childhood camping in Alberta."

"Alberta, Canada?" Steve asked, shooting him a surprised look. It had just occurred to him that even though he'd brought it up, he hadn't asked any questions. Connor had been the one to bring it up, and Connor was opening up about his past. That was something he was more than a bit glad for.

After all, if Connor was able to know everything about his past, Steve thought it was fair that he knew some of Connor's.

"You were asking about my story? It's pretty simple. Here I am, a Canadian hacker just being myself. You know. Causing some chaos every now and again. I hacked into a SHIELD server and may or may not have messed with Fury's personal files. Got myself a mark on my head." Connor gave a dry smile, finishing off his beer.

"And Natasha went after you." Steve had heard that part of the story. Natasha had been sent after Connor, had run around after him for a month, and then had finally caught up to him in Alaska.

"And when she found me, I got a choice between jail and SHIELD." Connor smiled dryly as he raised his beer, putting the empty bottle down on the coffee table before standing up and getting another. "This pretty face wouldn't survive jail. So. I chose SHIELD."

Pieces of the puzzle that was Connor Hale were starting to come together, including Connor's belligerent attitude. "You don't like SHIELD."

"Nope. Not even a little bit." Connor shrugged lightly before looking back over at Steve. "I was part of this group, the Rising Tide. Some of the people in it are dumbasses. Lydon, for example. He's also a douche canoe, don't know how Skye stands him. Still have a few friends in it. Davia Lieberman, this girl, she's fucking insane. One of the best hackers I've ever seen."

"And that's a group you enjoyed being a part of?" Steve asked, trying to stitch together where Connor's mind was going with this train of thought. Of course, knowing Connor, there might not have been a real train of thought.

"No, I hated being a part of the Rising Tide too."

Of course Connor did.

"So why are we talking about it?" Steve asked, frowning over at him before glancing back down at the beer. If he was going to be dealing with Connor's squirrel-like mind, the least the beer could do is work.

"Because as much as I hate being a part of groups, I don't hate members of the group." Connor shrugged lightly before saying, "Skye's a great kid. Davia's still a very good friend. Even though I don't think I'm technically allowed to talk to her anymore."

"Because that stops you?"

Connor snorted before saying, "Well, I may or may not still be in the same guild in World of Warcraft with her. But I can't confirm or deny that."

Steve snorted slightly, shaking his head before looking back over at Connor. Maybe he could understand that, supporting members of a group over the group itself. It helped him understand Connor a bit more. The fact that he was admitting all of this to Steve at all was something that he was grateful for, something that he was interested in hearing about.

"So, enough about me and you continuously asking questions to avoid talking about yourself," Connor said almost cheerfully, raising his beer before looking back over at Steve. "How are you and Mack doing? How was visiting her family?"

Steve groaned, shaking his head before looking back over at the hacker. "Sometimes I forget that you're a lot more observant than you let on."

"Everyone forgets that I'm smarter than I act." Connor shrugged lightly, frowning when he looked up, hearing a meow and shaking his head. "Dammit, Tennant, leave the demon dog alone."

Steve raised an eyebrow, turning his head to see what Connor was looking at. Arizona had lifted his head, panting slightly as a sand colored cat started to climb up onto the chair next to him. Steve smiled slightly when the cat managed to get up, climbing on top of Arizona's back before circling, plopping down onto his back and curling up comfortably.

Arizona seemed to take it in stride, merely whining for a few moments before resting his head back down on the chair. Steve smiled slightly, glancing back over at the cat before he recognized it. Steve turned his attention back to Connor, frowning slightly.

"Isn't that…"

"One of Moreau's cats," Connor confirmed, sighing before looking back over towards the sandy-haired cat. "Cecelia, Tori, and I found homes for all of them with some help. Tennant is a prickly son of a bitch, so… when he stopped scratching me, I decided to just take him in."

Steve chuckled sadly, looking back over at the cat and Arizona. "Don't worry, Hale, I'll keep your softness a secret," he deadpanned, looking back at him.

The hacker only gave a bark of laughter. "No one would believe that the bitter Canadian has a heart, anyway," he pointed out, standing up and handing Steve a second beer.

Steve sighed, taking another beer before raising it towards Connor. "To Emil Moreau," he said simply.

Connor gave a sad smile, raising his own. "To Emil Moreau."

The two of them drank, and Steve decided that spending a few days with Connor Hale as company wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Mack did not like the Triskelion.

She'd been there multiple times in the few years since she'd joined SHIELD. The first time had been with Clint not long after Budapest, the second with Coulson after her first solo assassination in Berlin, and the third had been on her own, in a debriefing over what had happened in Australia.

Needless to say, the three missions that had brought her to the Triskelion had been tough ones, which meant that going back to the Triskelion now brought nerves to her stomach.

"Get a grip, Mack," the brunette muttered under her breath as she leaned against the wall of the glass elevator, glancing out and over DC a few moments later. The view was beautiful at least. That was something she could appreciate.

If she could fight in a battle against an alien army, if she could fight against a brainwashed Clint and not die, if she could survive facing down HYDRA twice, she could survive whatever the hell Hawley was going to send her on. Mack was a survivor. She had survived everything that life as an agent had thrown at her thus far, and she could survive this.

For a few moments, Mack briefly wondered why she was this nervous. She knew what she'd been signing up for. It wasn't like Hawley could put a bullet in her head without drawing the rage of Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. She briefly wondered if it was being in this elevator.

Mack's hand moved over the railing, pausing when she felt a nick in the metal that she wasn't surprised to find. Why was it familiar? She ran her finger over it a few times, hazel eyes flickering down to it for a few moments, as something whispered n her head, something familiar.

The elevator door slid open a moment later.

She pushed her thoughts out of her head, drawing on every bit of focus that she had. Mack walked out silently, eyes flickering around as she realized that there was someone else in the room, someone she faintly recognized. She nodded at the secretary as she passed her, walking past a set of glass doors. The man in the room, with reddish-blond hair, turned to look at her, and the two holograms also turned their attention to her.

"Contessa de Fontaine. Councilwoman Hawley." Mack's eyes flickered to the man as she swallowed. "Secretary Pierce."

Secretary Pierce paused, looking her over with something that was almost identical to recognition. It disappeared so quickly that Mack convinced herself that she had imagined it, or that it was something different. Mack stepped forward carefully, noticing how Pierce was still watching her, something odd in his expression that disappeared a few moments later.

"Agent Donahue, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Pierce said, offering his hand to her. Mack shook it firmly, managing a weak smile at him. "I've read your reports. Thank you for everything you've done."

"Thank you, Secretary," Mack replied politely, turning her attention back over to the holograms.

"It's good to see you again, Mackenzie," Val said. The older woman smiling reassuringly over at her.

As much as Mack liked Val de Fontaine, she knew that she was supporting Pamela Hawley in whatever this was. At least with Val there Mack had a hope that someone was going to be an advocate for her. That was more than she thought she would have there. Mack knew that when she was counting blessings like that, it was going to be a bad mission.

"Agent Donahue, we're sending you to Moscow," Hawley said, nodding at the holographic screen that popped up in front of Mack as she spoke.

Mack took a step forward, frowning as she read through it. "That's all this is?" she asked, looking back over. She was already wary about going to Russia, considering what had happened the last time she had gone near the country. She still had a scar on her chest from that bullet.

"We believed that the Kronos Corporation holds ties to numerous terrorist information. All you need to do is get into the building, get onto CEO Lukin's computer, and put on the virus."

Nothing was ever that easy. And when Mack realized who exactly Hawley was targeting, she realized just how not easy this mission was going to be. "Yeah, all you want me to do is break into the most secure corporate building in the world and not die."

"And if you are caught, you will be disavowed," Hawley warned.

Great. So if she was caught, she would be disavowed and left to rot in a gulag for the rest of her life. And that was assuming that Lukin wouldn't throw her in his own torture chambers or throw her off the top of the Kronos building.

She really hated Pamela Hawley.

"Do I have a time frame?"

"Four days."

Mack really fucking hated Pamela Hawley.

As much as she would love to throw her middle finger at Pamela Hawley and walk out of the Triskelion, Mack didn't. Instead, she nodded, put the folder underneath her arm, and looked back over at the holograms, simply saying, "I understand."

"Good luck," Val replied simply, looking back over at the hologram of Hawley.

Hawley only nodded back over at Mack, her image dying with a flicker. Val's did the same, leaving Mack standing in the open room with Pierce.

The brunette stood there for a few moments, letting her eyes sip shut. She knew that this mission wasn't going to be easy. But this was something that she hadn't expected, and it was something that she was going to need to deal with. She'd made her choice to make a deal with the devil with Pamela Hawley.

And now, she had to honor that deal.

Pierce paused when the holograms disappeared, shaking his head. "Got to love Pamela Hawley," he muttered, shaking his head before looking back over at Mack, managing a weak smile at her. "Armory's open for anything you need to use. Agent Rumlow will be providing a ride to Russia for you. Good luck, Agent Donahue."

"Thank you, sir," Mack replied simply, already feeling a headache forming behind her eyes. "I think I'm going to need it."

Author's Note: Oh, look, Pierce is here now. He's going to be playing a part in this story, and things will get interesting from here. Next chapter is going to be mostly Mack in Moscow and a few other things going on with that. Because this is not going to be a simple mission, because it never is.

Hope everyone enjoyed, and I'll see you next time! Please leave a review on the way out.

Chapter 6 – Ready, Aim, Fire
"Shit." Mack barely had a second to dive before the gunfire started, and she took that other second to curse Pamela Hawley.