The chill had settled into the air once again and the moon hung like a locket over the city, casting pearly reflections across the icy roofs of cars and buildings alike. Nellie and Steve had respectively parked up their vehicles outside of their apartment building and were moving back towards one another as they neared the steps that led to their front door.

Steve outstretched his hand, reaching for Nellie as she ascended the first few steps, mesmerised by the way the streetlights behind them lit her hair to an unlikely halo. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly, the warmth of his skin soothing the stinging chill that had latched onto her fingertips. Together they continued up the smooth concrete steps and made their way into their building, their hands still joined.

Their apartment building had a gothic feel to it, with its Victorian architecture of high ceilings, narrow corridors, and the spired turrets built into each corner of the building.  The red brickwork of the facade with overhanging eaves and the glorious bay windows gave the building character, but the inside was reasonably modern with fresh licks of paint and stylish light fittings. The only resemblance the interior of the building still had to its nineteenth century past was the ornate staircase that wound its way up the centre of the building.

Together the couple made their way up to their landing, their shoulders and arms brushing against one another as they squeezed their way up the narrow staircase side by side. "Thank you for today," Nellie said, "for taking me to Sam." Her voice was quiet, an octave higher than a whisper.

Steve glanced down at her; the angles of her face illuminated in the warm light of the hallway. "You think it'll help?" He asked hopefully as they stopped outside their apartment door and Steve lightly untangled his hand from Nellie's so that he could reach into his pocket for the key.

As his eyes flickered down to his own hands to select the correct key, Nellie admired him. He was so good to her, so caring and loving. There was nothing she would not do for him, to see him smile, to make sure that he was happy... and she knew that he would do all those things for her, too. She took a step closer to his and slipped her hands under his open jacket to pull her body against his, her hands found their way under the back of his t-shirt, wanting to feel his smooth, toned skin under her fingertips. "I do." She sighed contently.

Steve's eyes flickered back up to meet Nellie's almost longing green ones, a darkness to them that Steve knew well. She had a mischievous smile playing on her lips as her hands moved around to his stomach, her nails trailing over his abs and lower stomach, the sensation sending a ripple of goosebumps over his skin. He chuckled lowly as her hands stopped at the waistband of his pants. "What are you doing?"

"Making myself feel even better." Nellie grinned at him.

The new blonde then used a fraction of her strength to pull the muscular man even closer to her own body. She pressed her own chest against his as she lifted herself up and onto her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. She connected their lips in a soft but hasty kiss, her fingertips gliding through his short hair at the back of his head, holding him to her as his own lips parted.

Steve gladly accepted the kiss, giving in almost instantly as his free hand moved around her waist. He heard her expel a breathy moan from her throat, the simple yet entrancing sound set fire to his insides as he walked forward slowly until Nellie's back pressed against the plastered wall behind her. His hand moved from her waist to her hip, and he gave it a gentle squeeze, the sound eliciting another moan from Nellie as they parted quickly for air, their heads changing their angles as they joined again, and Steve slipped his tongue into Nellie's mouth.

Lost in one another; in the heat of the tightly pressed bodies, the minty taste on each other's lips and tongues, the need to fall further into one another - it had considerably dulled their senses. Unbeknownst to the loved-up couple, their neighbour, Kate, was making her way towards her own apartment door with a basket full of dirty laundry.

The door opened with a light creak, Kate, dressed in pink scrubs, the heavy basket held securely under her arm, stepped out into the shared hallway. Initially, she had expected to be alone, but instead she was met with Captain America and The Siren, making out passionately in the corner of the hallway.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry!" Kate exclaimed, her cheeks instantly flushing pink as she slammed her door shut, spinning around quickly as she moved towards the staircase.

At the sound of their neighbour's flustered voice, Nellie and Steve instantly broke apart. The embarrassment hit them hard, Steve had practically flung himself across the narrow corridor, his back brushing against the opposite wall as both himself and Nellie joined Kate in the flushed, red cheeks department.

Nellie sunk down back onto the flats of her feet. "Oh no, we're sorry!" She called out to her, stopping Kate in her tracks as she whirled again, her short dirty blonde hair whipping around her face. "Excuse us."

Kate giggled a little too loudly, her eyes still wild with awkwardness. She cut her glance towards Nellie. "Young love... right? Oh, erm well... not young."

If it was possible her eyes seemed to widen even more, the whites now resembling saucers, her pupils dark brown, mirroring cups of steaming black coffee. Nellie and Steve tried their best to hide their mirth, the age comment completely unexpected. Kate noticed the couple fighting their smiles and Nellie watched as her tightened shoulders physically relaxed.

"You know what, don't worry." Kate added uneasily, flapping her free hand about, waving them off. She turned to leave again, Nellie suspected she wanted to run down the stairs and never see them again, she knew she felt the same way (she could still feel the blood heating her cheeks), but Steve called out to their neighbour.

"Hey, if you want, you're welcome to use our machine." He said generously. Nellie eyed him suspiciously, how had he managed to compose himself that quickly? "Might be cheaper than the one in the basement."

"Yeah of course, we owe it to you really." Nellie contributed, her tone almost pleading. We owe her a lot more than the use of our machine.

"Thank you, but um... I already have a load in downstairs, and, uh... you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. They're bloody and have germs and it's just a whole mess." From her distant tone, and of course the way she was leaning towards the first step of the stairs, it was obvious that Kate wanted to make it out of there without any more delay.

Nellie finally felt the heat begin to subside from her cheeks. Maybe it was best to forget this ever happened? And to forget the fact that her neighbour had heard her moan... oh god. Nellie wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

Steve gave her a tight-lipped smile, noticing the need to flee as well. "Well, we'll keep our distance." He said, holding his hands up innocently, the brass key still in his hand gleaming in the yellow light.

Kate began to nod, a little too erratically and finally turned away from them. She took two quick steps and then stopped, turning to the couple with a look of realisation. "Oh, before I forget, I think you left your stereo on." She said quickly before continuing her retreat down the stairs and out of Nellie and Steve's view.

For a brief moment Nellie stared at the staircase in stunned silence, a disbelieving laugh bursting out from her chest. "I think we've scared her off." She said as she turned towards Steve before hiding her face in her hands. "God, that was so embarrassing." She shrieked, though her words and the volume of her voice were muffled by the palms of her hands.

"Shhh." Steve hushed quickly, the noise clipped and brutish.

Underneath her palms Nellie frowned, confusion seeping into her mind as she slowly lowered her hands to look upon Steve. His face was troubled, a deep frown etched onto his perfect face as he pressed his ear towards the door. In the silence Nellie could hear it now, the rich saxophone solo from one of their favourite songs, It's Been A Long, Long Time, seeping from the apartment.

"What?" Nellie sassed. "Don't shush me!"

Steve momentarily ignored the defensiveness in Nellie's tone and cast his mind quickly over his comings and goings of earlier in the day. He had come here after he had left Fury, to drop off his shield, put on clean clothes and collect his motorcycle. He had not been anywhere near the stereo, or better yet the record player which was where the song was playing from... someone was in or had been in their apartment.

Steve felt the tightening of his chest as he prepared himself mentally for a possible fight, but more so he felt worried for Nellie, their quiet night in had been destroyed. He turned to her, still feeling the frown on his face, seeing the irritancy in her sparkling forest green eyes, her mouth pressed into a tight line.

"I didn't leave any music on." He said sternly.

Nellie's hard expression faltered as she took in Steve's words and his tone, understanding the weight they carried and what that meant. She nodded silently at his words and backed away from their door and back towards the staircase.

"Follow me." She insisted quietly, gesturing with a wave of her hand before she turned towards the landing, her mind already having put together a plan.

Soundlessly, Steve followed her as she stopped beside the window that was opposite Kate's apartment door. With minimal effort, Nellie forced the sash window open, her eyes catching sight of the fire escape that was attached to the perpendicular wall across from her, the wall being the exterior of their own apartment. The balcony closest to them led to their own, large sash window, the kitchen and dining area barely visible in the darkness.

One after the other they began their manoeuvre, carried out with their usual outstanding grace and finesse. Nellie moved first and proceeded to climb out of the window legs first. She steadied herself, perched upon the cool stone ledge before pushing herself away from the wall like a coiled spring, her hands outstretched and ready as she latched onto the railing that belonged to their upstairs neighbours. Effortlessly she swung herself down onto the grating of their own balcony, a quiet shimmering of rattling metal cascading up and down the fire escape, the noise comparable to that of a light breeze rustling through the trees.

Steve followed suit, and soon enough he was lifting their own window open, the frame sliding with a quiet groan of complaint as he pushed it as high as it would go. Steve climbed through the window first as the song began to loop around again. His boot covered feet hit the hardwood flooring with a light thud as Nellie climbed through too, a tightness forming in her chest as a new kind of personal fear set in. Someone is in our house...

Steve's eyes roamed over the immediate area that opened out onto the dining room; there was not a soul in sight. Through the opening into the hallway - which was lined with their many books, films, CDs and records - Steve led the way, keeping close to the walls, peering around the corners before stealthily making his next move. Nellie was just as light on her feet as she stuck to him like a magnet, following his movements precisely. She refrained from letting the blue energy blaze up from between her fingertips, the darkness inside of the apartment kept them hidden, the distant streetlights providing dim and shallow pools of orange light around the windows that faced the street.

As they moved further into the hallway that would soon open out onto their living room, Steve dipped to the floor to gather his shield which he had left resting against the wall, markings of scratched paintwork were left in its stead... Nellie had to almost bite her tongue as her eyes zoned in on the destroyed white paint. She had lost count the number of times she had told him not to leave his shield there. She shook her head, now was not the time to get into that.

The melodic music grew louder as they approached the living room, the record player being situated right around the corner they were hiding behind. They had not seen anyone yet, which meant that there were only two options left: around the corner or their bedroom.

Cautiously Steve took a glance, his heart hammering inside his chest as he readied himself for an attack but instead, in the shadows which had gathered thickly in the corners of the room, he saw a figure slumped in Nellie's reading chair. The feeble lighting still allowed Steve to make out the man in the chair, the tension he was feeling drooped but was quickly replaced with the fiery anger he had felt earlier in the day.

From behind Steve, Nellie watched as the line of Steve's shoulders relaxed, and instead of continuing to peer around the wall he took a step forward and proceeded to lean against it as an aggravated sigh escaped him. Nellie straightened up as well, Steve's actions positively telling her there was no immediate threat looming around the corner of the wall. She felt her heart rate beginning to slow, but the question still remained unanswered: who the hell is in our apartment?

The blonde stepped around her boyfriend, casting a look of confusion at the side of Steve's vexed expression before her eyes immediately focused on their so-called boss laying almost leisurely in her reading chair. Nellie's unfavourable emotions up until this point had been simmering, almost dying out as flickering embers in the back of her mind, but now just by seeing Fury's face, it was as if a gallon of gasoline had been poured on the coals, igniting the fire once again.

She stiffened next to Steve, her face screwing up into a hateful scowl. "I don't remember us giving you a key." She spat, automatically realising that her anger towards Fury was part of the U-Haul trailer that required unloading. It seemed it was time to get it all out.

Fury let out a strained groan as he hauled himself up into a sitting position and heavily sunk back against the chair. "You really think I'd need one?" The Director sassed, his remark earning even more disapproval from the heroic couple. "My wife kicked me out." He added a little more sullenly.

Well, you probably deserved it. Nellie thought harshly, but then again, since when had he been married? She had never expected he would be.

"We didn't know that you were married." Steve said, not an ounce of softness in his tone.

Fury shrugged lightly as he leant forward, resting his arms on his knees. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me." He mused as he moved with slow motions once again, the streetlights illuminating the phone in his hand as the light refracted.

"We know, Nick." Steve moved away from the wall; his voice still achingly pissed off. "That's the problem." He glanced back at Nellie's hard expression, the pain in her eyes bright as he flicked on the switch to the table light beside Fury.

The light bathed the room in a warm white light, casting itself across Fury's tense expression, throwing light upon the fresh blood, bruises and cuts across his face. Nellie took a quick step forward, her anger at the man forgotten as Steve turned towards him too, his own confusion and worry forcing the angry expression to fade from his face.

Fury was quick to hold a handout in their direction, the gesture a halting signal before he reached across to the lamp and switched it off again. Nick's attention was then suddenly on the phone in his hands, the fingers on his left-hand typing lazily across the screen. He turned the phone around and presented the screen to the couple: EARS EVERYWHERE.

Nellie and Steve's eyes scanned over the words, an uneasiness settling over them, their heartbeats began to slowly increase. Nellie took a step towards Steve, finding subtle comfort in the close proximity once again.

There were bugs in their apartment. It was as simple as that. Had Fury put them there? Is that why he was being wary now? Nellie's mind flashed over all the private moments and conversations that she had shared with Steve in their home... had there always been some analyst listening to their every move? The thought made bile rise in Nellie's throat.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." Fury said nonchalantly, filling the quiet with what was now obviously a lie. His fingertips moved across the screen again, silently tapping away, before showing the couple another message: SHIELD COMPROMISED

Nellie's breath hitched in her throat. "Who else knows that you're married?" She asked warily, trying to keep the heightened panic out of her tone. If people were listening, she did not want to alarm them.

Nick sighed again, the pain he was feeling scorching his voice. He stood shakily to his feet, typing again with his right hand as his left arm was cradled towards his chest. "Just...my friends." His tone was almost breathless. He turned the screen again: YOU TWO AND ME.

Nellie's eyes widened accusingly; despite it all, the pain Fury had caused her earlier on in the day was still fresh. "Is that what we are?" She snapped, glancing at Steve for his reaction. His pinched face mirrored her own as Fury moved towards them with a limp. "Because it did not seem like it this afternoon." She went on, trying to keep her cool as he winced and hissed out a harsh breath between his teeth.

Nick met her gaze with a steady and confident expression. "That's up to you."

The next few seconds passed by like minutes.

The three shots fired blasted into the apartment, sending brick, plaster and paint dust whirling through the air. Fury's eyes left Eleanor's as he screamed out, his gaze rolled towards the ceiling as his body collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud. Nellie watched in horror as the pool of blood began to seep out from under him, still not able to tear her eyes away as Steve pulled her to the ground and out of the shooter's range.

"Nick?" Nellie called out as the dust settled and the gunfire ceased.

Her answer was a series of excruciating groans.

Nellie turned her head to look up at Steve, his eyes narrowed at the window, catching a glimpse of a figure standing on the roof of the building across the street. He jumped to his feet and caught at Nick's hand, pulling him further into the apartment and away from the windows, the blonde man's eyes never leaving the window for long where the shooter still stood watching.

As Fury's body was moved, Nellie stared at the smudged trail of fresh blood was left in his wake, coating the hardwood floors. After brief moment of panic, Nellie scrambled to her feet as well and followed Steve, her heartbeat pulsing wildly in her ears as strangled coughs left Nick's throat. She dropped to her knees beside the Director, ignoring the sharp throb of pain that shot up her body as her knees collided with the floor. "Nick?" She called out, jumping with surprise as Fury moved suddenly, his hand shooting out to grip her wrist like a vice.

"Don't... trust... anyone." He choked out, his breathing harsh and laboured.

Nellie looked at him wide eyed as he removed his grip from her arm and held his hand out to her, palm up. In his shaking hand was a flash drive, and his eye pleaded with her to take it. A silent second passed and then the sound of their apartment door being broken into caused Nellie to snatch the drive out of his hand with lightning speed as a voice called out to them.

"Captain Rogers? Lieutenant Barnes?" Kate?

Nellie and Steve's eyes met as they both recognised the voice coming from the hallway and Nellie shoved the drive into her front jean pocket. The music was still trilling quietly in the background of the chaos, the woman's voice like bells ringing softly.

Kate then appeared at the end of the hallway, a gun held steadily in her hands was pointing straight ahead of her. "Captain, Lieutenant, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service." She said in a calm and collected voice, her gun lowering as she approached.

Nellie and Steve watched her entirely perplexed, completely confused by the woman before them. The woman with the handgun who up until now had seemed like she wouldn't even hurt a mouse.

"Kate?" Steve blurted out, the only word that either Nellie or himself could form.

Her name is likely not Kate at all. Nellie thought as Fury began to wheeze, his breaths becoming slower.

"I'm assigned to protect you both." Kate informed them as she came closer to the trio, stopping dead in her tracks as she looked upon Nellie and a very unconscious Director Fury. So, our apartment wasn't just bugged but we were being watched by our neighbour too.

"On whose order?" Steve demanded as Nellie noticed the blood was no longer gushing from his wounds but instead beginning to considerably slow, along with his pulse.

Nellie heard Kate give a quick gasp behind her. "His." Kate was beside Nellie in moments, pulling a radio out from the waistband of her scrubs.

"His pulse is barely there." Nellie said shakily, moving her trembling hand away from the base of his throat, her fingertips leaving bloody prints against his skin. Oh god.

"Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs." Kate spoke into her radio fast, her recently unveiled confidence showing but her shaking hands said otherwise.

Nellie turned her head to look at Steve, his face still the picture of shock. As Nellie moved to stand, a voice answered back on the radio.

"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?"

Steve tore his gaze from Nellie's panicked green eyes and whirled around to look through the lounge window again. The figure he had seen before, as if knowing Steve's eyes were on him, spun away with haste, a flash of silver sprinting away at immense speed. Steve's eyes narrowed at the retreating shooter, but his mind had already made up the split-second decision. "Tell him I'm in pursuit."

Steve bounded towards the lounge window, painfully ignoring Nellie's fearful shout of his name as he collided with the glass and wooden frame, his shield taking the brunt of it and protecting him as he sailed through the air across the narrow street towards the office block on the opposite side. The quiet spring night was now full of noise; sirens, car alarms, falling debris and the shattering of another window as Steve made impact. He landed in a controlled roll in the centre of an office and bounced to his feet as he began the chase. The figure - now a man with shoulder length dark hair and what appeared to be a metal arm or at least some kind of armour - was visible through the sky light in the office ceiling, running like his life depended on it. He didn't think he would be caught.

Steve's name was stuck in Nellie's throat as she scrambled up from the floor as well, almost slipping in Fury's blood. "Lieutenant Barnes?" Kate's voice called after her but to Nellie it was as if she did not utter a word. The blonde charged towards the whole in the wall Steve had created and propelled herself from the window, using her energy as second nature for the extra boost as she soared across the street towards the roof of the opposite building rather than through the other hole Steve had created. The chilling air bit at her skin as she searched the roof tops, her eyes locating the sliver of silver retreating north ahead of her. She followed with intense speed.

Under her feet, the office was ending with a pair of double doors and Steve wasted no time charging through them, ripping them from the hinges as he passed and continued barrelling down the corridor and into the next set of rooms. Papers were scattered, equipment and furniture left destroyed in his wake, more doors were demolished but he was unstoppable. Though, a small part of him was sorry for the owners who were going to find their place of work destroyed the next morning.

The crashing underneath her had Nellie inwardly cringing as she closed in on the shooter, her eyes latched onto him like a fighter jet's target lock. She let her energy build in her hand ready to fire and then suddenly he dropped, disappearing past the ledge of the roof and onto the next building.

The final corridor ahead of Steve ended in a large bay window, the city laid out before him in blinking yellow and white lights. He prepared himself for the next jump as the figure leapt down from the roof, his body blurring past the glass. Steve did not hesitate. The glass splintered instantly and again a controlled roll was needed as in one sweeping motion Steve sent his shield spinning. He put as much force behind it as he could, and the metal disc rippled through the air soundlessly towards the fleeing man.

Nellie leapt through the air, the energy leaving her hand a split second after Steve had parted with his shield. The blue fire bloomed from her hand, rolling into a ball of hazy chaos as she too had perfect aim. She landed beside Steve just as the assailant spun around to face the couple at the last possible second. His metal arm shot out like a coiled spring and caught the shield, stopping it dead in its tracks as if it was no more than a plastic frisbee. Even more astonishingly he moved again, the swiftness almost robotic as he blocked Nellie's assault with the shield, the offensive power of both the shield and her energy were absorbed by him completely.

Both Steve and Nellie stared dumbfounded. Who was this man behind the mask? How was this possible?

His dark blue eyes surrounded by charcoal sent a shiver up Nellie spine as he stared, as if he was daring them to pursue any further. Nellie let another ball of energy build as the man flung his arm back, the air crackled with mechanical whirring before he threw the shield forward and back towards Steve. He caught the shield with ease, but the power had him skidding back against the concrete. Both Nellie and Steve looked from the man to the shield, and then back again, but this time all that was before them was the Washington city lights.

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Hello beautiful people...

I'm sorry, but I'm back. University just took up too much of much time but I'm back now. In all honesty I wrote this author's note back in July so since then I have been powering through and writing as much as I can before Uni starts up again in October. I'm trying to get back to the weekly updates and I am hoping I would have written enough to keep you all occupied before my next break. So, fingers crossed...

Anywhooo, of course Bucky is back, though our babies don't know it's Bucky... I'm not ready to break Nellie's heart. Or Steve's ☹️

As always comments and votes are much appreciated, and if you have any questions, I'm always around to answer them.

Anyway, love to you all.

Talia
💚💚💚