For a fleeting moment, I swore I hadn't woken up from my nightmare. That I was still HYDRA's pawn. What made me think that?

Well, for one thing, I heard voices talking about me. I could feel things in my arms, which didn't help.

When I opened my eyes, though, I knew I wasn't back in our apartment in D.C., or Stark Tower, or a Helicarrier. I was elevated, almost in a sitting position. I moved my arms, noticing needles stuck in my skin. How fun.

"Welcome back."

At this, I turned my head to see a weary Todd Brealey at my bedside. He had stitches on the side of his head. I remembered it being caked in his own blood. His brown eyes held relief.

"How come I'm stuck in this?" I asked, frowning at the needles.

"To build your strength back up. Even Asgardians have their limits." He leaned in, elbows resting on his knees. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been to Hell and back."

"Haven't we all?"

"Who brought me here?"

"Nat, Fury, and Sam."

"Sam?"

"Sam Wilson. You, uh, met him earlier. He had the winged suit."

"Ah. Okay." Yikes. Now I remembered. "What happened while I was...gone?"

"Way too much to tell in a day." Todd rubbed his eyes out of exhaustion. "Bottom line: HYDRA was lying in wait in S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I knew that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I'm still trying to muddle through my thoughts. What happened to Alexander Pierce?"

"Fury took care of him."

"He's dead?"

"Yeah."

I snorted softly. "Good riddance." I moved slightly, groaning in pain. "Where's Steve?"

"A few rooms over. Don't worry, Sam's in there with him. If there'd been space, you two would've shared." Todd reached across to grab one of my hands. "How did this get so messed up, Kiara?"

"We decided to join an organization who wanted to save the world." I smiled weakly. "Our job holds many dangers."

"You're not wrong there."

"Mind if I butt in here?" asked another voice. Natasha Romanoff stood in the doorway. Her hair was changed, it looked a shade or two lighter, and it was straight. "Good to see you're awake, Kia."

I nodded. "I feel like crap."

"We're all a little beat up." She crossed into my room. "You should be discharged soon once you get your strength back."

"The, uh, the doctor checked you out when you were admitted," Todd said lowly, "and they, uh, noticed the bullet wound...I thought bullets would bounce off you?"

"I've got a theory," I said bluntly. "Seth Joyce."

"You mean the bastard who made people into unintentional suicide bombers?"

"Yup. He was in works with Pierce. He made some of that serum to subdue me when I wasn't cooperative. I think maybe, somehow, it affected my durability. It's weakened me, in a sense. I can take bullets and they hurt." I shrugged. "It may sound like a long shot theory, but nothing's ever a long shot with us anymore."

Todd tensed. "I should've found him and killed him."

"You've done enough murders for your lifetime, Todd," I said gently.

"But look at what he's done to you! He's the reason you're like this! He's the reason you turned into..."

"That wasn't all him," I noted. "Wasn't his idea. It was Pierce's." I looked down at the blankets covering my body. "We've got another problem."

"Which is?"

"The Winter Soldier." I cleared my throat. "He's in the wind."

"Probably for the best."

"Todd, don't you understand? That's Steve's best friend. Surely he told you that." I looked between Todd and Tasha.

"Look, we need to deal with bigger matters first," Tasha said carefully. "Barnes is something Steve can work on in his own time."

My mouth parted slightly. "Why would you say that?"

"We're under the scrutiny of the world right now and our good ole government." She frowned. "We need to handle them first and get them off our backs. We need to do a lot of things now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is no more."

I swallowed. "How many were HYDRA?"

"A considerable amount," Todd said hollowly. "Some of my mentors at the academy were..." He rubbed his head out of frustration. "It's been a mess for all of us."

I leaned into the hospital bed, eyes on the ceiling. Our world seemed to be falling apart. The organization we pledged our loyalty to ceased to exist, undermined by evil. My boyfriend's best friend was nowhere to be found, and Gods only knew what he was going to do with his newfound freedom.

"Well, we can look at this in a good way," Todd tried. "We're all still in one piece."

"But we might as well be considered unemployed," I stated.

"I'm already working on another job."

"Where?"

"When I get it, you'll see." He gave me a secretive smile.

"Please don't let it be a stripping job, Todd."

He looked horrified. "What? I don't have the body for it?"

"I don't want to have rabid women knocking down our door or have you be chased by a hoard of them."

"Kiara, we haven't lived together in almost two years, remember?"

"Right." I shook my head. "I forgot." I shared an apartment with Steve in D.C. An apartment in which most likely we'd never go back to.

"Believe me, I miss those times."

"I'll leave you two alone if that's what you want," Tasha interjected, smiling. "But I don't think Steve will take it too well."

I rolled my eyes. "Was the shield found?"

"You have no idea how much effort we put into finding that thing."

"Thank you. I'm sure Steve will appreciate it a lot."

"I'm sure he will. Well," she got up, "I've got some business to get to. We'll see each other when you're feeling better, okay, Kia?"

"You got it, Tasha. Stay safe."

"You do the same."

"You gonna go back to the apartment?" I asked Todd. "Your place in New York?"

"I don't want to take chances," he said seriously. "I'll figure out a plan."

"You can always room with Steve and me."

He smiled. "I'm sure none of us would mind, but, three's a crowd. And I'm not exactly up to being a third wheel." He licked his lips. "You should've seen how hurt he was, Kiara, when you were abducted."

"You were there?"

"He called me first thing. I paid it a visit. It was...it looked bad. The place. Thankfully, there wasn't any blood spots to suggest something terrible happened."

"But something terrible did happen."

"I didn't think we lost you again. I knew that, wherever you were, you were trying to find your way out and back to us."

"I did try."

"You did. It's what spared me, twice." Todd's cheeks tinted red. "I'm sorry, for shooting you."

"You had to do it. I would've done the same," I said softly. "I'm not mad at you. Not for that."

"Are you sure? Because I would be mad at me."

I sighed through my nose. "Are you going to stay?"

"If you want me to."

"I wouldn't mind some company, since I doubt Steve will be crawling in here anytime soon."

"Then I guess I'm staying. It's not like I got anywhere to be anyway."

Even though I knew I should be worrying about other things, right now, I wasn't. I was recovering, with my best friend at my side. S.H.I.E.L.D. was gone now, yes. HYDRA was on the run. The Winter Soldier was in the wind.

But my friends, and my boyfriend, were all alive. I was alive. I had to be grateful for that. We fought to see other days, and we won.