By the time Steve and I had arrived at the apartment building the sun had gone down. Steve parked his bike and we walked into the doorway and made our way up the stairs to our floor. The entire way up I was telling Steve about how iconic and classic the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's was. I figured that I may be boring him but I wasn't planning on stopping until we got to our apartment room. But I stopped when we reached our floor as the nurse that lived across the hall, Kate, stepped out of her room with a laundry bin and talking on her cell phone.

"Hey." She smiled at us and Steve waved. "I gotta go, though. Kay, bye." 

I smiled at her, not only to be kind but because I remembered that Natasha was encouraging Steve to ask her on a date. I lightly nudged Steve as we walked past, he looked hesitant but he turned to face her.

Kate smiled and held up her phone. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac." 

Steve chuckled quietly and I lightly tapped his heel with my foot, then turned to look out the window, but also eyeing them from the side. 

"Uh, hey. If you want- if you want, you're welcome to use our machine." He nodded towards her laundry bin. "It might be cheaper than the one in the basement." 

"Oh, yeah?" Kate replied. "What's it cost?" 

"A cup of coffee?" Steve asked. 

Kate quietly chuckled and looked down. "Thank you, but um, I already have a load in downstairs. And uh, you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished a rotation in the infection disease ward, so..." 

"Ah, well." Steve nodded. "I'll keep my distance." He held his hands up humorously.
"Hopefully not too far." Kate smiled before continuing down the hall.

Steve got the keys from his pocket and headed towards the door when Kate said one more thing. "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on." 

I looked at her with a confused face. We didn't have the stereo on in the first place. We don't have a stereo period. We have a turntable. Steve glanced at me before looking back at Kate. 

"Oh, right. Thank you."

Kate headed down the stairs and Steve's smile disappeared as he looked back at the door. I stood next to him and listened as muffled jazz music was coming through the door. Steve turned the knob showing that it was unlocked, I reached up and slowly pushed the door open, the music becoming louder. We quietly slipped in through the door, Steve grabbed his shield that was leaning against the wall. I shook my hand and snow flakes swirled around my fingers as we quietly crept down the hall and into the living room. 

Steve looked around the corner and his shoulders relaxed. I stepped out and looked to see Nick Fury sitting on the recliner seat in the dark. I breathed out and shook my hand again, the snowflakes disappearing.

"I don't remember giving you a key." Steve said. 

Fury grunted as he sat up. "You really think I'd need one?" In his hand he held his phone. "My wife kicked me out." 

I squinted my eyes, Fury doesn't have a wife. 

"Didn't know you were married." Steve replied. 

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me." Fury said. 

"That's the problem, Nick." I said.

I walked over to a light switch and flicked it on, the lamp on the table next to Fury turned on and I stepped back, staring at the blood spots on his face. I opened my mouth to speak but Fury held up his hand to silence me. He reached over to the lamp and turned off the light. Steve stepped out and stood next to me as Fury turned his phone around to show a message on the screen.

EARS EVERYWHERE

Steve looked around and I shook my hand again, snowflakes returned. Fury lifted up his phone and typed something. 

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." Fury said, turning his phone to show another message.

SHIELD COMPROMISED

"What hap-" I stopped myself. "Who else knows about your wife?" 

Fury stood up, holding his hand to his side and showing a third message.

YOU AND ME

"Just my friends." He stood in front of us. 

"Is that what we are?" Steve asked. 

"That's up to you." Fury answered.

There was a bang from the wall and Fury shouted. Two more bangs and I saw the two bullets go through his chest. I screamed and stumbled backwards, holding my hands to my mouth. Steve ran towards Nick who was on the ground and pulled him to the side, he glanced out the window before looking back at me. 

"Get over here!" He continued pulling Nick until we got to the kitchen.

I stumbled over and fell into Steve. My legs and hands shook and my breathing was uneven.

Fury grabbed Steve's wrist and opened his palm, revealing a hard drive. Steve took it from him as Nick coughed before speaking. 

"Don't... Trust... Anyone."

There was a bang at our door and I heard it break open. Steve peaked around the hallway corner as I kneeled down next to Nick, checking his pulse.

"Captain Rogers?" I heard Kate's voice and stood up to see her walk in with a gun. "I'm Agent 13, SHIELD Special Service." 

My brows hung low on my forehead as I placed my finger on Nick's neck again, desperate to find a pulse. 

"Kate?" Steve asked. 

She walked around the corner and saw me kneeling over Nick. "I'm assigned to protect you." 

"On who's orders?" Steve asked. 

"His." She nodded at Nick before kneeling down and taking out a radio. "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive, I need EMTs." 

"Do we have a 20 on the shooter?" A voice said back.

Steve looked out the window and I looked just in time to see a dark figure on the roof across from us run off. Something popped in the back of my head and I cringed. 

"Tell him I'm in pursuit." Steve said, backing up with his shield in front of him. 

"Wait, what?" I said just before he took a running start and crashed out the window.

I immediately jumped to my feet and ran to the window. I watched as he crashed in through another window at the building ahead.

"God dammit." I muttered. 

I ran over to a shelf, opened the bottom drawer, dug through SHIELD gear that I kept at the house and pulled out a grapple hook dispenser. I ran back to the window, shot the hook to the floor above the broken window and jumped out. The rope swung me into the broken window and I ran through all the broken down doors and windows before catching up a little behind Steve in a hallway.

Through the window ahead I saw the dark figure jump down from the roof to another building roof connected to us. Steve crashed through the window and I jumped out after him, rolling onto the concrete. I stood up just as Steve threw his shield at the shooter. The gunman turned around and caught the shield with one extended hand.

My eyes widened as no one had ever caught the shield before, then I noticed the gunman's metal arm. On the shoulder of his arm was a red star. Then I looked at his face, his mouth and nose were covered by a black mask, his hair was brown and shoulder length, his eyes were covered in black makeup. This man didn't want to be seen. 

The gunman glanced at me and we made eye contact. Through his eyes I could see the cold blooded intentions, but there was something else behind them. Pain. I felt my heart pound against my chest, and suddenly I felt deja vu. 

The gunman looked back at Steve and hurled the shield at him. Steve caught it against his chest and skidded backwards into me. When he regained his balance, he ran towards the roof edge. 

I bent forward, holding my stomach as a sharp pain jabbed at me. I felt sick, very sick.

"Ellie, he's gone!" I heard Steve shout. "Ellie?"

The vomit that escaped my mouth pooled on the concrete. I didn't feel any better.