𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘢'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

I stare at my reflection in the mirror with a permanent frown on my face.

It's been four years since I found Natasha and she helped me undo most of HYDRA's memory wiping.

Two years ago S.H.I.E.L.D. brought together a bunch of heroes that are now called the Avengers, I happened to make the cut along with my sister.

Since escaping the torture and constant pain of HYDRA I've been shown nothing but kindness and I'm truly grateful for it all, but the feeling in bones of something being missing never goes away. Or should I say someone.

It's also been four years since I've seen or even heard from James. Although we spent a lot of our time together brainwashed, I couldn't help but feel safe and comforted around him. He was there for me whenever I needed him and now he isn't here, I feel lost.

"Ana, we gotta go pick Steve up!" Natasha yells, walking into my room.

I turn to her and her smile falls, but I smile for the first time today.

"Did you say Steve?" I ask hopefully.

"I sure did. Go get yourself cleaned up" She tells me and I nod.

I head to the bathroom, smiling warmly as Natasha ruffles my hair when I pass her. I quickly shower before wrapping a towel around my body and drying my long thick curls.

I make my way back to my room and my lips twitch up into a smile when I notice how clean my once messy room looks.

thank you, Nat

I slip on a pair of skin tight black jeans, a pair of black heeled knee high boots and a tight white vest top. After applying a little make up and slipping on my blue leather jacket, I exit my room to get Natasha.

We get in the car and Natasha drives us to where Steve is. The car comes to a stop and I hop out the car.

"Hey, fellas" Natasha announces, causing Steve and his friend to look over at us "Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil"

"That's hilarious" Steve scoffs, walking towards us.

"Hi, Steve" I grin at the blonde.

"Hey, Ana" He smiles, pecking my temple.

As he climbs into the backseat, I turn back to his friend who looks me up and down.

"How you doing?" He asks with a smirk.

"Hey" I reply, biting my lip as I size him up.

"Ana, get in the car" Natasha orders and I roll my eyes, winking at the man before slipping back into the passenger seat.

"Can't run everywhere" Steve says to his friend.

"No, you can't" The man replies with a chuckle.

Natasha speeds off and I turn to Steve.

"Who's your friend, Captain?" I ask cheekily and Steve snorts, shaking his head.

"His name is Sam" Steve tells me.

"He's cute" I hum.

"Thought you were still hung up on that James guy?" Natasha asks and my mood immediately deflates as I sit properly, looking out the side window "Shit. I'm sorry, Ana. I didn't think it was still a touchy subject"

"It's fine" I shrug, watching the world whizz past "I have to get over it eventually"

‎✪ ‎✪‎ ✪

"Target is a mobile satellite launch platform, the Lemurian Star. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took them, 93 minutes ago" Agent Rumlow explains.

"Any demands?" Steve asks.

"Billion and a half" Rumlow answers.

"Why so steep?" I ask in confusion.

"Because it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s" Rumlow then answers me.

"So it's not off course. It's trespassing" Steve states.

"I'm sure they have a good reason" Natasha adds.

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of being Fury's janitor" Steve says in an annoyed tone.

"Relax. It's not complicated" Natasha tells him.

"How many pirates?" I ask curiously.

"25. Top mercs led by this guy" Rumlow explains, showing us a picture on the screen "Georges Batroc. Ex-DGSE, Action Division. He's at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French demobilised him, he had 36 kill missions. This guy's got a rep for maximum casualties"

"Hostages?" Steve asks.

"Oh, mostly techs. One officer. Jasper Sitwell. They're in the galley" Rumlow answers.

"What's Sitwell doing on a launch ship?" Steve questions, mostly to himself before sighing "All right, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you sweep aft, find the hostages, get them to the life pods, get them out. Let's move"

"S.T.R.I.K.E., you heard the Cap. Gear up" Rumlow orders as I turn to Steve.

"What about me? What do I do?" I ask the blonde haired man as we walk towards the exit of the plane with Natasha.

"You're with me" Steve answers and I nod.

"Secure channel seven" He says into his earpiece.

"Seven secure" The tech replies back.

"Did you do anything fun Saturday night?" Natasha asks curiously.

"Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so, not really" Steve answers sarcastically, making Natasha and I smile in amusement.

"Coming up on the drop zone, Cap" The pilot announces.

"You know, if you ask Kristen out, from Statistics, she'd probably say yes" Natasha declares.

"That's why I don't ask" Steve retorts.

"Too shy, or too scared?" Natasha challenges.

"Too busy" Steve corrects before jumping out of the plane.

"Fun Saturday, Ana?" Natasha smirks at me.

"I'm not asking out Grant from Tech" I snap before jumping from the aircraft.

A smile makes its way onto my face, my hair blowing wildly as I fall through the sky. Knowing that I'm nearing the surface, I turn and manage to grab onto the chain that's attached to the anchor before my body can hit the water. I notice Steve climbing up the chain and I swing myself up, on top of it.

"You look damp, Stevie" I joke and he smiles in amusement, wiping his wet hand across my cheek.

"Shut up, Ana" He replies.

We make our way onto the ship and Steve makes a move to take out the nearest pirate but I beat him to it.

I jump onto the railing and leap onto the man, wrapping my legs around his head. Using my body weight, I throw myself forwards and the guy flips with me, the both of us hitting the ground. I choke him until he passes out and pull myself to my feet, brushing myself off with a smile. Steve gives me an impressed nod and I curtsy playfully.

"Come on" He orders and I follow him around the corner.

I watch in awe as takes out two pirates using his shield before kicking a third clean off the ship. He starts fighting with the fourth guy and I run at the fifth one who tries to grab him from behind.

He tries to throw a punch at me but I dodge it, grabbing his arm and using it to flip him forwards. His body hits the ground with a thud and I send my fist pummelling into his face, knocking him out cold.

One by one, we take out every pirate on the deck as swiftly as possible. We reach the last few on the deck and as I knock the last one out using Steve's shield, I hear a gun cock behind me.

"Don't move" A man warns me.

He's abruptly shot, falling to the ground and I look up to see Rumlow land on the deck, unclipping his parachute.

"Thanks" Steve says to the man gratefully, taking the shield that I hand him.

"Yeah. You both seemed pretty helpless without me" Rumlow scoffs sarcastically and I snort.

Natasha and the rest of the S.T.R.I.K.E. team land on the deck and my sister immediately starts walking with Steve and I.

"What about the nurse that lives across the hall from you?" She asks Steve "She seems kind of nice"

"Secure the engine room, then find me a date" Steve orders.

"I'm multitasking" Natasha retorts before jumping down to the lower level.

"She's not wrong you know, Stevie. Kate does seem really nice" I speak up as we try to find Batroc.

"Don't you start" He groans.

"Hey, if I've got to move on, then so do you" I declare and he chuckles.

"Maybe we should just pretend to date" Steve suggests.

"She'd see right through us" I reply.

"Damn" He mutters, making me giggle.

We reach a higher vantage point and Steve shoots a microphone bug at the control room that holds Batroc and one of his men.

"I don't like waiting. Call Durand. I want this ship ready to move when the ransom comes" Batroc tells his men in French "Start the engines"

"Radio silence from S.H.I.E.L.D., Batroc" A man tells him.

Steve gives me a look that says 'are you ready?' and I nod in return.

"Targets acquired. S.T.R.I.K.E. in position" Rumlow announces.

"Natasha, what's your status?" Steve asks.

"Status, Natasha" He repeats when she doesn't answer.

"Hang on!" She yells.

"Engine room secure" She states after a couple minutes.

"On my mark" Steve says "Three...Two...One"

"On my left, Ana" He orders and I listen, following right beside him.

He throws his shield at the windows, Batroc and his guy both ducking as the glass smashes. Steve jumps through the now broken window and I follow his lead, leaping through it. I immediately tackle the guy to the ground and smash his head off the metal ground, jumping to my feet as Steve grabs his shield. We chase after Batroc as he flees the scene.

"Hostages en route to extraction" Rumlow informs us "Romanoff missed the rendezvous point, Cap. Hostiles are still in play"

"Natasha, Batroc's on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha" Steve demands.

"Let me deal with Nat, Stevie. Just find Batroc" I assure him, rushing off.

I search from the engine room to the tech room before finding my sister plugging a USB into the main computer.

"Natasha, what the hell?" I huff, storming over to her.

"Fury told me to save as much as I can" She explains.

"Steve isn't going to be happy" I declare.

"Steve isn't my boss" Natasha retorts.

"But he is leading this mission" I counter.

"Ana, just because you worship the ground he walks on doesn't mean that I have to" Natasha snaps.

"I don't-" I'm cut off by the door coming off it's hinges as Steve slams Batroc onto the floor.

"Well, this is awkward" Natasha announces and the blonde man looks at us in confusion.

"What are you doing?" He asks, walking over to us.

"Backing up the hard drive. It's a good habit to get into" She answers vaguely.

"Rumlow needed your help. What the hell are you doing here?" Steve scolds her but when she doesn't answer he looks at the screen "You're saving S.H.I.E.L.D. intel"

"Whatever I can get my hands on" Natasha confirms.

"Our mission is to rescue hostages" Steve states.

"No, that's your mission, and you've done it beautifully" She replies smugly, taking out the USB.

"You just jeopardised this whole operation" He accuses her, grabbing her arm.

"I think that's overstating things" She scoffs.

Batroc abruptly jumps to his feet and throws a grenade at us. Steve hits it away with his shield before grabbing me and Natasha, who shoots at the window to smash it as he jumps through it. The grenade explodes behind us and we are covered in debris as we scramble to sit against the wall.

"Okay. That one's on me" Natasha groans.

"You're damn right" Steve retorts.

I lift my hand to my face in pain and wince when I feel a small shard of glass in my cheek. Before I can yank it out, Steve turns my face to him and gently pulls it out for me.

"Thanks, Capsicle" I breathe out.