CONTROL.
003. | ❛ insecure control freak. ❜

"How did you know about Peggy?" Steve asked once we were outside of one of Sam's meetings.

"Peggy and I never lost contact. I just wanted you to be ready." Steve faced Caroline and giving her a kiss on the lips.

"Look who it is.. The running man and his girl." They both pulled away from their kiss while Caroline wiped the bottom of her lips and Steve was blushing.

"We caught the last few minutes, It's pretty intense."

"Yeah, brother. We all got the same problems.. Guilt, regret.." Sam told the couple.

"You lose someone?" Steve asked

"My wingman, Riley, Fly in the night mission. A standard PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before, 'till RPG knock Riley's dumb ass out of the sky..... Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch."

"I'm sorry. I can relate, my mother died and there wasn't anything that I could do. She died and I lost myself along the way."

"Sorry for your loss, there is nothing like a mother's love. After Riley, I had a really hard tome finding a reason for being over there, you know?"

"But you're happy now, back in the world?"

"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell yeah. You thinking about getting out?"

"No," Steve whispered," I don't know to be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did." Reaching down he grabbed Caroline's hand while she intertwined her fingers with his.

"Ultimate fighting?" Sam joked while they both laughed.

"It's just a great idea off the top of my head. But seriously, you could do whatever you want to do, what makes you happy?"

Steve looked down to Caroline who was oblivious to his gaze . Steve wouldn't happy if he hadn't found Caroline, she was like his anchor. He knew while he was with Caroline, he would feel in control.

Caroline was just smiling at Sam , but Sam saw the way Steve looked at her like she was his puzzle piece. Like before all of this, they were both just wandering souls looking for one another.

"Oh, I see" Sam chuckled.

Caroline just stared in confusion, she looked over to Steve and connected to his eyes and made Caroline feel like she was on cloud nine. Caroline tried to hide behind Steve which made the trio chuckle.

_________________

Steve and Caroline walked up the stairs once they were inside their apartment building. He took out his keys from his pocket while they both shared a smile.

Caroline grabbed his hand while Steve looked at her in confusion. Caroline took in a deep breath, "When I turned, I was an insecure control freak. I grew into myself when I became a vampire. I had to gain control all by myself,  I changed. And I want to be able to enjoy it, without all the guilt and shame. And there was a moment today when I felt human again. And when I'm with you, every bone in my body tells me to that you're right. That we're right."

"Steve, what I'm trying to get at is that you can come to me, whenever you want, I won't let you lose control."

Caroline stopped talking once they heard their neighbor on the phone. She smiled at her neighbor once she greeted the two, "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac."

"If you want, you're welcome to use our machine, it definitely won't cost a penny," she suggested while giving her a smile

"Thank you, but it's alright, I already have a load in downstairs..but thank you, again."

Caroline nodded and Steve turned to the door, "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on," Kate tells them.

"Thanks, I'm always forgetting to turn it off." Caroline says trying to play it off before she walks down the stairs. The two of them look at each other in confusion as Caroline hears the music with her enhanced hearing. Caroline furrowed her eyes and quietly walk back down the stairs.

They climb up the fire escape and stop right in front of their window. Steve slowly opens it and individually crawl in without making noise.

Steve pushes Caroline behind her and grabs his shield, Caroline grabbed the gun she kept underneath the coffee table.

All Caroline could see was Fury sitting in their armchair, in the dark. Caroline let out a huge sigh as Steve leans against the wall, "Did you give him a key?"

"I don't think so.."

Fury groaned, " You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out"

Caroline tilted her head in confusion and narrowed her eyes.

"Didn't know you were married," Steve stared at him

"A lot of thins you don't know about me."

Steve flickered on the light, turning the lamp on," I know Nick. That's the problem"

Caroline set the gun down on the table beside her when Fury brought up his hand, and reached over and turned off the lamp that was beside him.

Steve found his way to Caroline's side as they both watched Fury type something on his phone. He held up the screen as they both read

EARS EVERYWHERE

Steve looked around the room as Fury tried his best to explain," I'm sorry I have to do this, but I had no place else to crash."

He continues to type something else and shows them once again.

SHIELD COMPROMISED

Steve plays along, "Who else knows about your wife?"

Fury stood up showing us the next text.

YOU AND ME

"Just.. my friends."

"Are we your friends?" Caroline asked him

"That's up to you"

Out of nowhere, Fury is shot three times and Caroline eyes widen. She runs and grabs a hold of Fury, pulling him back to behind the wall that they were both were just seconds ago.

Fury begins coughing and grabs Caroline's arm. He lets go to reveal a flash drive in his hand that Natasha had the other night.

She grabs it a places it in her front pocket as she continues to hold Fury's hand.

"Don't.... trust..... anyone." Fury says in his final moments.

Steve and Caroline both hear someone breaking into their apartment, 'Captain Rogers?"

The both of them look at Kate as she walks in with her gun, "Captain,  I'm Agent 13 of Shield's Special Service."

"Kate?" he asks her as she she puts down her gun

"I'm assigned to protect you."

"On whose orders?"

She stops when she sees Fury lying on the floor with Caroline holding his head in her lap,"His"

Kate bends down and checks Fury's pulse before pulling out her radio, "Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTS,"  

"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?"

Steve nods at Caroline and looks through the window, watching the shooter fleeing on the roof,"Tell him I'm in pursuit."

Steve jumped out the window leaving Caroline and Kate to attend to Fury's medical needs.

____________________

Natasha burst through the door speeding towards the window next to Steve and Caroline.

He stood behind Caroline with his right arm wrapped around her waist while his left holding onto the ledge. Her hands were placed on the window hoping that Nick would pull through.

"Is he gonna make it?" Natasha asked them.

"I don't know.." Caroline dozed off

"Tell me about the shooter," Natasha ordered Steve quietly

"He's fast and strong... Had a metal arm."

Maria walked up to them and stood on Natasha's side.

Natasha's eyes never left Fury's body,"Ballistics?"

"Three slugs. No rifling and completely untraceable." Maria stated

"Soviet made?"

"Yeah" Maria glanced over to the redhead.

"But there was another person, a woman." Steve said as all of them kept looking at Fury, holding on for dear life.

"She was blonde and she had a black suit. And she tried to stop the shooter with her cry."

"Is she a threat?" Maria asked Steve, being the only one who could determine if she was helping him out or out to get him.

"No, she didn't seem like one. But after this, we can't trust anyone anymore." Steve looked to Caroline who knew what he meant. A second later, Caroline whipped back to Fury. She was trying to hold back her tears as she whispered to herself, hoping that if she did that Nick would pull through. He was a tough man and this wasn't the way that he should go out. Caroline couldn't watch anymore and buried her face into Steve's chest to blind herself from what was about to happen. The rest looked as the doctors finally gave up on their third time and called the time of death.

A tear escaped Maria's left eye while Natasha was holding back her tears. Caroline's tears start streaming down her cheek but Steve wipes them away before he wraps his arms around her and gently stroking Caroline's blonde hair as he tried to calm her down.

After a minute, the both of them walked out, Maria following close behind not being able to watch Fury's lifeless body anymore. A few hours later, Fury's body was laid out in the small room. Natasha stood beside Fury not saying anything. She just stared at him still trying to hold back her tears.
Steve stood next to the door with Caroline behind him holding onto his hand with her head leaning on his back. Caroline didn't want anymore deaths and the emotions that came with it. Last time somebody died she didn't exactly handled it so well. Steve looked down at the flash drive that Caroline had given to him earlier.

"We need to take him," Maria told them once she walked back into the room. She was blinking away her tears.

Caroline let go of Steve's hand and walked over to Natasha's side,"Nat.. We have to go." She whispered

Natasha gulped, uncrossing her arms and rested her hand on Fury's head before walking out of the room. Caroline rushes after as Steve is mere seconds behind,"Natasha" Caroline slightly yells as she runs after her.

Natasha stops walking and turns towards the couple,"Why was Fury in your apartment?"

"We don't know," Steve shrugs

"Captain, they want you back at Shield," Rumlow comes from behind.

"Yeah, give me a second"

"They want you now."

"Give him a sec" Caroline turned to him showing her vampire veins towards him that caused Rumlow to back off.

Steve turns to Natasha,"You're a terrible liar," she smiles but leaves her face as she turns around and walks away.

Caroline looked down at her feet as Steve places his hands on his hips. He looks around and his eyes land on the vending machine. Steve quickly distracts the man fixing the vending machine with a question as Caroline vamp speeds and places the flash drive behind packs of Hubba Bubba.

They started walking towards Rumlow,"Let's go"

"STRIKE, move it out."