Guys, I am so sorry. *Hides face* I should have updated before now. This is a longer chapter, so hopefully, it will make up for it! This chapter takes things a little bit differently, especially with Cap. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, I've made you wait long enough!

Day 10

Tony

"Tony, I'm serious. You need to go to bed," Pepper said. Her crossed arms seemed severe, but did not hide the concern in her eyes. 

Stark laughed  harshly, "Aww Pep, who needs sleep? Psh. I don't. I'm the great T'ny Stark!" He picked up a screwdriver and held it up in the air victoriously.

"Tony, you’re drunk, let's get you to your room. Okay?" she said slowly. 

"And 'm tellin' you," he slurred, pointing the tool at Pepper. "I'm fine."

She sighed. "If you don't stop this I'll call -" she paused momentarily. Tony looked at her, slightly startled. There was no question in his alcohol-muddled mind as to who she was about to threaten him with. Steve. He may not remember much in his drunken state, but that was the threat most often used. 

"Natasha," she finished quietly. "I'm sure she wouldn't think twice about forcing you to bed."

He dropped the screwdriver and crossed his arms, pouting. 

"Fine." 

Pepper sighed in relief, "Jarvis -"

"I'll take care of everything down here Ms Potts. You ensure Master Stark gets to bed."

Pepper nodded gratefully and moved to help a very sleep deprived, very drunk Tony Stark.

~A~

Gunshots. Three loud gunshots in succession. Blood. Blood everywhere. Nothing he could do. Nothing he could do. 

Blood.

Death.

Gunshots.

Nothing he could do.

He ran towards the bleeding figure, pulling the man's head into his arms.

"Please," he whispered. "Please Steve, don't do this to me." The end came out in a sob.

"It's your fault,"  the broken voice told him. 

Tony looked down at the  wounded man. "No," he said, voice low.

"You-you did this. I jus-just wanted-"  Steve didn't finish his sentence. "Why? Why do you hate me?"

"I don't! Honestly, Steve, you have to believe me. I don't hate-"

"Everything special -" he paused, taking a shallow breath, "came  out of a bottle."

"No! That's not true. Please, Cap, you've got to believe me."

"Your - fault," he whispered, then he went completely still.

"No," Tony choked on a sob,. "No!"

"No!" he yelled, sitting up straight. He groaned and rubbed his head. 

The lights came on, slightly dimmed. 

"Ibuprofen and  water are to your right, sir." Jarvis's voice  was quieter than usual. 

"Well, aren't you being awfully nice this morning?"  Tony laughed shortly, "What happened to 'I warned you about a hangover'?"  

The AI seemed to sigh. "Ms Potts requested I be gentler this morning."

"How," he grunted as he sat up, "kind of her." He threw the tablets in his mouth, quickly washing them down with water. "Turn the lights back off, will ya, J?"

The room went dark. He sighed deeply, laying back down. He closed his eyes.

"Your - fault," the dying man struggled to whisper.

Tony's eyes snapped back open. 
He wanted to deny it, to somehow prove that there was nothing he could have done to stop it. He felt the tears sting his eyes and he knew it had nothing to do with his alcohol binge the night before. 

He tried again to deny, to argue, to convince himself. But, he couldn't.
Steve was right.

It was his fault. 

~A~

Steve

“It will be more effective this way,” A voice floated through his drug-addled mind. 

“No!” Another voice said. He knew this voice. Rubrem? “It will do no good to coddle him. He needs force. Think of the other one.”

“I am!”  The first, unknown voice was back, “That is exactly what I am thinking about. Have you seen him? The raw anger? Think of how many resources are being pulled into freezing him when a mission is complete!” 

“Silence!” Yet another familiar voice came through. “You had your chance, Rubrem. Let's see if the Doctor can  get any better results.” 

“I almost had him!” Rubrem exclaimed. “You saw how close I was.”

“Yes,” the third voice hissed, “until he attacked and nearly killed four of our agents. Let's give the Doctor a chance.”

He tried to open his eyes, but it hurt too much.

"He's awake again." Now Steve was sure it was Mori. The disgust in the man's voice mirrored his own feelings
"Sedate him, " the third voice (his friend’s voice?) said. "Then we shall see what results the good Doctor can produce."

A warm feeling flushed up his arm. His eyes closed slowly , and no more voices intruded.

~A~

Steve opened his eyes again. The lights were bright - too bright. He gave an involuntary groan. 

"Ah, Mr Rogers." A kind-looking man in a white lab coat smiled at him. "How are you feeling today?" 

Steve blinked. "Like someone ran me over with a truck." He tried to sit up but was overcome with a wave of dizziness. The man helped him into a sitting position. 

"Who are you?" Steve asked.

"I am Dr Leon Zuger," he gave a tolerant smile. "I am here to ensure you make a full recovery."

Rogers rubbed the back of his head, "What happened?"

"Tell me what you remember,"  the doctor probed gently. 

Steve thought for a moment. He couldn't remember much of anything. 

"Pain," he said, barely above a whisper. "Lots of pain, and something else. Somebody was there..." He sighed in frustration. His thoughts weren't coming together.

"It's alright, take your time."

A few more moments of silence, then he shouted, almost frantically, "Tony!"

"Yes,"  the other man said slowly. "What do you remember about Tony?"

Only one word came to his mind, "Pain." 

The doctor smiled. "That's right Captain. Tony caused you pain." Then as an afterthought, "Do you mind if I call you Captain?"

Steve was surprised, no one had ever asked him before. It was just what people called him. 

"If you want."

"But you'd rather me not," Zuger frowned.

Steve gave a half-hearted shrug, "Everyone else does."

"Hmm, how about Steve?"
He gave a tentative smiled, "I- I think I like that. Just-just Steve."

"Yes, okay Steve. You said Tony caused you pain?"

He tried to think, tried to remember. "I don't  know. There was Tony and there was pain. But, it doesn't mean Tony caused the pain."

"Very right Captain - I'm sorry, Steve - very right. But let's forget about Tony for a minute, let's talk about S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Steve pursed his lips. "What about them?"

"They led you to join the Avengers, no?"

An awkward pause, "You could say that."

"Yes, it was more of a force, wasn't it? You didn't get much say in the matter. The world needed Captain America, so they used him. No one ever asked what Steve Rogers wanted. But, I am asking now."

"Why would you want to help me?"

"Your loyalty does not lie with the Avengers, does it? Think Steven, who claims your allegiance?"

Steve suddenly felt very confused. He felt like his answer should be S.H.I.E.L.D,  or the Avengers, but neither of those came to mind. 

"Who claims yours?" he finally asked. 

A smile came across the doctor’s face. "Hydra, Steven."

Rogers frowned.

"No, Steve, do not think of it that way. You remember fighting Hydra, but that was before. Now, Hydra wants to help. They want to help you end the Avengers."

"But, why would I want to do that? The Avengers are my friends."

Another tolerant smile, "No, Steven, we are your friends. We want to help you. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers took advantage of you. You woke up in a strange new world, you didn't know anyone. What did they do? They tried to trick you. Then they forced you to work for them. Then, as soon as the world was in danger, they called for you, told you to lead a group of superheroes. Forced you to! You had no say, no one to help you. It was just you against the world. Then, you against the Chitauri. Have the Avengers ever been  kind to you? Think about it. They don't consider you or your feelings. They have not come looking for you. Tony forced Hydra's hand, we did not want to hurt you, but Tony Stark made us. Hydra cares for you Ca- Steven. Hydra wants what is best for you. They can help you." The doctor paused, his tolerant smile turning sinister, "They can help you, get revenge. месть. "

Steve's eyes flashed with hatred. месть. Revenge.  That's what he wanted. What he wanted more than anything. 

"месть," he said, his voice a low growl.

"Yes, revenge. You want it, do you not?"

Steve nodded. Yes. He didn't know why, but he wanted revenge. 

"We can help you get revenge. What do you say?"

A  sneer formed on the former captain's face, "Hail Hydra."

месть

Yes, Steve Rogers would have his revenge. 

Before you kill me, know that there is more going on than meets the eye. Unless of course, I'm just going to play flat out Hydra Cap. But I'm not that cruel, right?

And for the record, I've never been drunk. So I don't know how it feels to be drunk or to have a hangover. So I have no idea if I portrayed it right at all.

As for Steve, like I said. There's more going on than meets the eyes.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

God bless,