Honestly, when Sydney said she didn't enjoy the solitude in her apartment, this was not the response she had been expecting from the universe.

She blinked a little and stared at the two familiar and one unfamiliar face in front of her, standing at her doorstep.

She waited a few seconds before he finally broke the silence.

"We needed a place to lie low."

She raised her eyebrows before sighing.

"Get in. And the three of you are going to explain."

Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and the one unfamiliar person, quickly scuffled into her apartment as she locked the door behind them, warding it for good measure.

"Guest bathroom is that way. And the guest room is right next to it. Tea?" she instructed.

The interrogation could wait. The three of them looked like shit.

Rogers nodded as Romanoff walked off in the direction she had pointed. The other man took a seat on her couch.

"And your name?" she asked, trying to be polite as Rogers disappeared into her guest room.

"Sam Wilson. This idiot's friend."

He had a rough voice that was friendly and warm. She nodded as she waved her wand, setting up the kettle.

"I'm guessing he got you into... whatever mess this is?" she asked wryly as he chuckled.

"So, you do know him."

They existed in silence until Rogers and Romanoff finally emerged from her guest room and bathroom.

The tea was hot and ready on her kitchen counter.

She waited as they sat down and took their mugs of tea.

"So. Care to explain the sudden urge to visit?" she asked, cutting through the silence.

Their reactions were... interesting, to say the least.

Rogers grimaced, Wilson shrugged half heartedly and, as usual, Romanoff didn't react at all.

"A lot has happened."

Rogers began to speak, then hesitated slightly. She narrowed her eyes, but he seemed to decide something and he continued to speak.

"Fury. He's dead."

What?

"How?"

Her voice was measured, somewhat controlled. That was not what she had been expecting when they showed up.

"It was premeditated. By HYDRA."

The three of them waited, watching for her reaction. She merely raised an eyebrow.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me? What are they? Some terrorist organisation?"

Rogers's eyebrows furrowed and Romanoff's posture shifted. Wilson simply took another sip of his tea.

"HYDRA? A division of Nazi Germany?"

She continued to stare at them.

"You forget that I'm not exactly well-versed in American, or even muggle history. Care to explain?"

Rogers looked almost at a loss for words, as though the mere thought of not knowing HYDRA, was sacrilegious.

Wilson snorted into his tea cup.

After a couple more minutes of silence and continued staring and tea drinking (mostly on Wilson's end), Romanoff was the one who broke the silence.

"HYDRA was a terrorist organisation funded under Nazi Germany before eventually separating from them. They're still a threat. We have confirmation that their agents have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D."

The silence lingered.

"And this relates to Fury how? Was it HYDRA that killed him?" she questioned finally, processing the information.

Rogers, who seemed to have gotten over his initial shock, began to answer.

"The Winter Soldier. He's one of HYDRA's agents. He is the one who murdered Fury."

"The Winter Soldier is a ghost story, as I've already told you. He's credited with too many kills over too long a time."

Sydney let them argue it out, not really wanting to intervene, and also letting herself get a view on their situation.

"And what exactly is your next move going to be? As Avengers? Or as Captain America?"

Because hopeful as some of them may be, the Avengers weren't exactly a unified team. They were just a bunch of super powered people who had done great things as individuals who, fortunately, when put in the same room, worked well together.

Rogers could simply just deal with this on his own terms, and Romanoff wouldn't have to do anything, given her status as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.

Rogers paused, mulling it over in his mind.

Romanoff's gaze was calculating, no doubt going over the various scenarios in her mind.

Sydney found herself doing the same thing.

The Avengers had the publicity and the clout necessary for it to not blow up in their faces when HYDRA was finally revealed.

However, simply getting the Avengers together was a massive task.

Fury was only able to do it with an entire organisation at hand and a helicarrier.

All they had was one ex-soldier, one super soldier, one spy, and one witch.

Two of them wanted by the very organisation they were trying to protect.

But Sydney wasn't exactly worried about any of this.

Going against the government she could do. Hiding fugitives she could do. Helping a civilian adjust to the inherent weirdness of being tied to an Avenger, she could do.

"We need to take care of the Winter Soldier."

That. That was her first problem.

Rogers frowned, eyebrows furrowing in thought, while Romanoff nodded slightly.

"Yes. That would be the most important, if we could actually find him. Like I said, The Winter Soldier is a ghost story. It's a legend. He is the legend. It could be one person who surpassed the human life span. It could be several people who took on the role over the decades. We don't know who's behind that mask."

And that was what made him dangerous.

And what made Rogers quest to rid S.H.I.E.L.D. of HYDRA that much more complicated.

Sydney leaned back in her couch, and Romanoff raised an eyebrow at the expression on her face.

She was grinning.

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⭒٭⭑ 𝙑𝙞𝙖 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨

GUYS. GUYS i am so sorry 😭😭.

literally been more than 2 years. i swear to god, i told myself i wouldnt become the author that stops updating a fic abruptly with no rhyme or reason, but ive since realised that writing isnt a linear journey.

it has been so long since ive found the inspiration to write for this fic, or even these two particular fandoms.

dont get me wrong, i still LOVE both the fandoms, this fic, and all my ideas and scenes already written for this fic.

BUT its been a while since i actively sat down and opened my word doc for this fic for anything but nostalgia purposes.

i swear i havent abandoned this fic. it is literally the longest fic i have probably published, written even, and i do plan on completing it.

just expect late updates. like for a WHILE.

thank you guys so much for being patient and i love you all for even giving this fic a try <3333