New York

Back in Avengers Tower, Steve took the girl to the ER to see if she is ok. The doctors towered her and took her to a room. She was about to die. They saved her, fortunately.

Steve and Natasha were waiting for her in the waiting room. The doctor told them the good news and showed them the room. The girl seems frightened.

"You have a visitor." The doctor said. The girl repeatedly shook her head no.

"Hey. Don't worry. We won't hurt you. I'm Natasha. And that's Steve. What's your name?" Natasha asked cordially.

"Hope." The girl muttered. She had a German accent.

"Hope. That's a nice name." Natasha said with a smile. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Dedrick."

"What? Who's Dedrick?"

"The devil."

"The devil?"

"He's a monster. He hurts me."

"Is he still alive?" Natasha asked. The girl shrugged.

"Oh. Well, don't worry. He won't hurt you anymore." Natasha tells the girl. She smiled.

"We'll be right back. Okay?" The girl nodded.
—————

In the halls of the hospital, Steve and Natasha were talking.

"Steve, what did she say to you when you found her?"

"She said to leave her there to die. Because 'he' was going to kill her."

"Great. Is it someone we know?" Natasha asked.

"No. But we know his brother."

"Alex." Natasha and Steve said in unison.
—————

Steve and Natasha walked into a session with Alex and his therapist in the evaluation room.

"Hey, this is a private session!" The therapist said.

"Yeah. But we need to talk to him. So leave." Natasha orders, giving him the stare. He then left the room. Leaving them alone.

"So, you wanna talk? This must be serious." Alex chuckled.

"It is. Do you remember Dedrick?" Steve asked.

"Huh. The brother that almost left me die? Yeah, I remember him." Alex says.

"Well, then you must know if he's alive or not?" Natasha asked. Alex scoffed.

"I'm not stupid."

"Then you will tell us where he is or we kill you. I won't hesitate."

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you." Alex gave in.

"We're listening." Steve said.

"I don't know where he is. But between you and me, he did say that he was going to use one of his soldiers to kill you."

"Who?"

"A girl. Named Hope, I think. But he's dead as I'm concerned. He's a psycho. And he had a friend named Zay. Killed more people than you can imagine. That's all I know."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks." Steve said to him.

"Don't count on it."

"I promise you, we will." Natasha says before the two walked away.
——————

After that counter, the two reported it back to Fury.

"So, what did you find out?" Fury asked them.

"Dedrick Pierce. Alex says that he was friends with 'Zay.'" Steve tells him.

"That psycho?"

"Yeah. And he's planning on using one of his soldiers to kill us." Natasha said.

"Did he say who?" Fury asked.

"Hope."

"Huh. Guess she can't be trusted." Fury said.

Steve didn't want her to be locked up. He knew that she had goodness in her. Besides, she was just a kid.

"Wait. What if I look after her?"

"What are you saying, Cap?"

"Look, all I'm saying that we don't have to be so harsh. She just was left in the cold, to die just an hour ago."

"Yeah, she's still brainwashed. I mean you heard the guy, he's a psycho. Maybe she is too. She's a criminal." Natasha said.

"She's a kid." Steve stated.

"Alright, that's enough. Steve, I know that you want to help her. Which is why I'm letting you be her guardian until she gets old enough to make her own choices." Fury said.

"Thank you, Fury. You won't regret this." Steve said as he walks away.

"Sure, I won't." Fury said sarcastically.
——————

Later, Steve took Hope into his home. Her new home. Steve can see that she been through hell. The reason why he really is doing this was that she was reminded him of Bucky. The brainwashed. The innocent. Wasted. He couldn't pass the opportunity of changing that.

When they arrived at his apartment, Hope looked curiously around the house. It was something that she has never seen before. It had a vintage feel to it. It had old lamps, yellow curtains, an old-fashioned radio, a torn up couch, vintage chairs, one dinner table with white and yellow painted walls and wooden floors. Hope investigated the room closely. She stopped at a decoration. A statue of Captain America.

"Captain America." She asked.

"What?" Steve said as he walks in the room. "Oh, that? That's me. From a long time ago. I was a soldier. I actually fought in WW2. And then the next thing I knew, I'm here in my mid-20s, in the 2000s." Steve explained. But Hope ignored him and searched the house more. To see a radio. When she pressed play, old music starts to blare out of the speakers. Which scared Hope. Steve quickly went up to the radio and turn it off.

"Yeah. You probably shouldn't do that." Steve reassured her. "Do you want something to drink?"

She shook her head no.

"Okay. More for me." Steve said opening the refrigerator.

"Sleep." Hope says softly.

"What?"

"Sleep. I want to sleep."

"Oh." He closed the refrigerator with a soda in his hand. "Follow me."

Steve and Hope entered into a guest room that Bucky used to sleep in. It was dirty. The bed didn't have any sheets or headboard.

"Here you go. I know it isn't much. It's all I have for now." Steve said as Hope sat on the bed. She didn't care. She has never seen a real bed before. "I'm gonna go now. If you need me, just call me. Okay?" Hope nodded. Then Steve left her alone.

This was the first time for Hope to be in a house. A home. All she sees is the rooms where she got brainwashed and her cell. All her life. She never experienced anything. But torture and fear. And constant brainwashing to her head. But now, she's in a better place now. Or is she?