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"Eyes here." Sitwell demands to the room full of S.H.I.E.L.D. employees. Everyone standing around focuses their attention on him. "Whatever your op is, bury it. This is Level One."

Sharon turns to Sawyer Fox who has his arms crossed beside her, knowing he's furious. Knowing better than to say anything, she moves her gaze up to the screen where her best friends picture is blown up right next to Captain Rogers.

Oh Juniper, what have you gotten yourself into? She wonders to herself, wishing she was far more informed.

"Contact DOT." Sitwell continues. "All traffic lights in the distric go red. Shut all runways at BWI, IAD and Reagan. All security cameras in the city go through this monitor right here." Sitwell points his thumb towards the screen behind him. "Scan all open sources, phones, computers, PDAs. Whatever. If someone tweets about this guy with this woman, I want to know about it."

"With all due respect, if S.H.I.E.L.D. is conducting a manhunt for Captain America and Agent 14 we deserve to know why." Sharon speaks up, referring to Juniper by her correct name. Finally someone is.

A few people nod their heads behind her in agreement.

"Because they lied to us." Pierce's voice booms as he steps into the room. "Captain Rogers and Agent Fox have information regarding the death of Director Fury. They refused to share it."

Sawyer clears his throat, knowing this is exactly why he didn't want his daughter involved in anything of the sorts. But, he was promised she would be brought in unharmed, assuring them that Juniper would gladly speak up when her and the Captain were found.

"As difficult as this is to accept, Captain America and Agent 14 are fugitives from S.H.I.E.L.D." Pierce continues, making eye contact with Sawyer he nods, assuring the father that he would keep his word and his daughter would be brought in safely.

But Juniper Fox made no such promises.

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"You put it where?!" Juniper's voice pierces through the air as Steve finishes telling her he stashed the drive in the vending machine at the hospital they just arrived at.

"I didn't know where else to put it." He defends. "I panicked, didn't have a lot of time."

"Ugh, you—" June seethes before taking a deep breath, stopping herself from calling him an idiot.

"Hey, you gave it to me." He argues as they enter the hospital with hoods up.

"Like these are really gonna help!" June argued a few minutes prior when Steve suggested they cover up as much as possible without standing out too much.

"So Brock wouldn't search me and find it, not for you to put it with snacks!" She whisper-shouts at him, shoving the key to his chest that she swiped off a janitor as they came in.

"So what's on it?" He asks, glancing over his shoulder as he hurriedly tries to get it out.

"How should I know?" She rolls her eyes.

"You were the one with Fury." Steve points out.

"Well, I'm just as clueless as you are." Juniper fire backs.

Steve pauses before turning around to face her. "Are you lying?" He wonders.

She scoffs, narrowing her eyes at him. "Why would I lie?!"

"Well, you haven't exactly been telling the truth." He mutters.

Juniper swears every vein in her forehead pops at once.

"When have I not been telling the truth then, Captain?" Her voice raises and Steve quickly pulls them off into a room to avoid drawing attention.

"Did you know Fury hired the pirates?" Steve jumps down her throat, only inches apart now. She blinks at him and he lets go of her elbow. "Sorry." He shakes his head. "I'm sorry." He felt foolish for his outburst, but he desperately needed answers.

That was still far more gentler than anything Brock has done.

"Well, did you?" Steve repeats, calmer this time. She stares at him through her lashes, not saying a word. He scoffs. "You did, didn't you." She licks her lips. He thinks back. "You said you were doing your mission."

"Hmm?" She plays innocently dumb.

"On the boat." Steve recalls. "When I came to save you. You told me you were doing your mission." He says sternly. "You did know."

Juniper lets out a chuckle dropping the act as amusement graces her lips, causing Steve to furrow his brows. "You have a pretty good memory for an old guy, huh?"

Steve shakes his head, unassumed. "So what else are you hiding?"

Juniper rolls her eyes. "Oh, please." She groans. "Cut the bullshit. I don't know you. And you don't know me. I barely trust you right now, and wouldn't at all if it wasn't for Uncle Nick's last words." She puts simply. "I wasn't going to magically tell the most righteous guy on the planet that Nick hired the pirates so he could get in, alright?" She exhales largely, looking down at her hands. "I don't even know why I'm here."

She lets it sink in for a moment, that she is there. A fugitive. No turning back now.

After a moment of silence she speaks again. "I know who killed Nick." She admits.

Steve snaps his head back up, eyes reconnecting with hers.

She clears her throat. "Almost no one believes he actually exists, but whispers call him the Winter Solider." A chill fills the room and Juniper applauds whoever came up with that sick name. "He's credited with dozens of kills over the past 50 years. Even rumored to have killed John F. Kennedy." She clicks her tongue.

"So he's a ghost story?" Steve asks, listening intensely.

Juniper shrugs. "Some say he's a story you tell around a camp fire." She smirks, eyes shining. "But five years ago, when Natasha and I were on a mission, or— when she was escorting me out of Iran, just outside of Odessa our tires were shot out and Nat lost control, sending us over a cliff... We made it, obviously." She draws. "But surprise, surprise, there was the Winter Soldier, waiting for us. He fired, Nat covered me, bullet went right through her into me." Juniper tells him. "She has a beautiful scar here-" She points down to her hip, "And I have a nasty one here." She drags her finger down to her thigh. "But you gotta be lucky to see that one." She laughs as Steve clears his throat and adverts his gaze from her thigh.

"Thankfully, it was only infected and I got medical attention right away, but, oh, was my father furious. After that, he pulled me from all international missions." She takes a pause. "Like that stopped me." She chuckles proudly.

"Guess you're right about being a ghost story." She continues as Steve remains silent. "Natasha and I tried, believe me. And we managed to hit a dead end, every. single. time." She finishes, holding out her palm out flat as she looks up at him.

Steve places the drive in her hand. "Well, we haven't tried together." He looks up at her, meeting her gaze. He wishes he could hear a thousand more of her stories, but for now he'll settle with just the one. "Let's find out what the ghost wants, shall we?"

The corners of her mouth curl up ever so slightly.

"Where else am I gonna go?"

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𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Ahhh, hello, hello <3

Hope you all LOVED this chapter as much as I loved writing & editing it ;) Cause of death: Juniper & Steve's tension... hehehe.

I swear on my all my life that Juniper is NOT in any way, shape, or form just a Natasha copy, she is her own character! So I tried to adjust this scene as much as I could to fit her & this book while still presenting the information that Natasha did in the scene bc it's important... so I hope you all loved the little insight/peek into Juniper's time as Agent 14!!

(Please remember that as this book carries on lol, bc obviously Juniper is taking the place of Natasha during this movie as her & Steve go on the run instead, & I try so very hard to make it Juniper & her & Steve's own journey, but there are obviously some things I just cannot cut out lmao. I'm only stressing this so people don't think I'm literally just copying Natasha entire story/character😭. Sorry had to get this little blurb out of the way haha, bc I've seen it happen & I've seen people say it before !!)

ANYWAYSSSS, hope y'all enjoyed this chapterrr, everything is really kicking off nowwww, yayyyy!! Until next time, mauh!