CONTROL.
002. | ❛running laps don't count.❜

After landing, Caroline took off her parachute gear while giving Steve a wink. It made Steve smile, while Rumlow gagged at the couple.

"Do you guys ever like go out? Like on dates?" Natasha said walking beside Caroline.

"Yeah, we go out sometimes." Caroline said while making a face.

"Running laps does not count."

"We've been on a dates. We go to restaurants and then we walk around."

"That's cute, you guys are adorable."

"Nat, secure the engine room then you can ask me anything you want about my relationship."

Natasha rolled her eyes before proceeding to jump off a rail," I'm multitasking"

"I'm going to go with her." Caroline said kissing Steve one on the cheek before jumping off the rail.

"Nat?" Caroline tried to whisper but came out more like her normal voice.

"Down here!" Natasha exclaimed

"You don't have to yell, my vamp hearing is bad enough already."

"Caroline, what's your status?" Steve said through the Comm.

"Give me a sec!" Caroline yelled before the both women started to attack different pirates. 

Caroline speeded behind one of them and wrapped her hands on his neck before snapping it.

Another one came behind Caroline and shot his gun in her stomach. She thrusted forward and with her left foot knocked the gun out of his hands. She gets behind him and snaps his head like the last one.

"Engine room, secure." Natasha spoke through the comm.

A few minutes passed,"Batroc is on the move" Steve jumped off the ladder and looks around at his surroundings,"Circle back to Rumlow to protect the hostages."

Natasha stopped Caroline," Wait follow me"

Caroline stared at her in confusion," Nat, what's going on?"

They both walked into a room full of computers and Natasha stumbled on one and started typing,"What are you doing?" Natasha ignored her like when she would ask about Budapest.

A minute later, Steve bursted in staring at the man lying on the floor.

The girls both looked over to him," Well this is awkward" Natasha smirked.

"What are you doing?" Steve says walking over to them.

"Backing up the hard drive. It's a good habit to get into." Natasha looked up.

Caroline slowly got up and hugged Steve, while he wrapped his arms around her waist before placing a kiss on her head.

"Rumlow needed your help, what the hell are you doing here?"

Both of them looked at the screen," You're saving Shield Intel"

"Whatever I can get my hands on..."

"But wasn't our mission to save the hostages?" Caroline said resting her hand on Steve's shoulder.

"No. That was your mission. And you both have done it beautifully." Natasha said pulling out the hard drive.

Steve pulls his arm away and grabs Natasha,"You just jeopardized this whole operation." Steve scolded at her.

"I think that's overstating things."

The three of them heard shuffling in the corner and moved quickly. Natasha jumped over the desk as Steve whacked the grenade that was being thrown. Steve got a hold of Caroline before all three of them crashed through the window, the grenade exploding behind them.

Natasha groaned,"Okay that one's on me"

They were all breathing heavily as they sat against the wall, "You're damn right." Steve said helping Caroline up and they walked away with Natasha raising her eyebrows.

______________

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Caroline heard Steve say as she followed him into Fury's office.

Fury was gazing out the window, "I didn't lie, Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours."

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share. " Steve halting in front of his desk.

"I'm not obliged to do anything."

Caroline stood there having her arms crossed while she let Steve talk, "Those hostages could have died there."

Fury turned in his chair letting his arms rest against the desk,"I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."

"Soldiers trust each other- that's what makes it an army, not a bunch of guys running around, shooting guns-"

"The last time I trusted someone is when I lost an eye." Fury's voice was raised while he stood up, letting his gaze fall in Steve, "Look, I didn't want you to do anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."

"I can't lead a mission, when the people I'm leading have missions of their own."

"It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody know them all."

"Except you" Steve put on a smile.

"You're wrong about me," Fury's voice flattens,"I do share." He titled his head,"I'm nice like that"

"Insight Bay" Fury says as we are all walking into the elevator.

"Captain and Ms.Kingsley do not have clearance for Project Insight."

"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."

"Confirmed"

Caroline stood by the corner and looked out the clear glass window.

"You know,they use to play music" Steve said looking at the top of the elevator.

"Yeah. My grandfather operated one of these things for forty years. My granddad worked in a nice building, got good tips. He'd walk home every night, roll of ones stuffed into his lunch bag. He'd say 'hi', people would say 'hi' back. Time went on, the neighborhood got rougher. He'd say 'hi', they'd say 'keep on steppin' Grandad got to grippin that lunch bag a little tighter."

"Did he ever get mugged?" Caroline asked so intrigued

Fury let out a weak laugh, " Eh, every week some punk would ask what's in the bag?"

"What did he do?"

Fury looked at both of them,"He'd show'em. A bunch of crumpled ones and loaded 22 Magnum."

Caroline smiled at Fury,"Grandad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much. "

The elevator ride kept going down, Caroline just looked out the window and saw the amazing sights in front of her. It wasn't long before they were underground as they looked at the helicarriers.

"Yeah, I know. They're a little bit larger than a 22"

"This is Project Insight," Fury showed them around once they got off the elevator, " Three next generation helicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites"

"Launched from the Lemurian Star"

"Once we get them in the air, they never need to come down. Continuous suborbital flight, courtesy of our new repulser engines."

"Was it Tony?" Caroline asked.

"Well, he had a few suggestions once he got an up-close look at our old turbines. These new long ranger precision guns eliminate a thousand hostiles a minute. The satellites can read a terrorist's DNA before he steps outside his spider hole. Gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they can even happen."

"I thought the punishment usually came after the crime"

"We can't afford to wait that long," Fury tells him.

"Who's 'we'?"

"After New York, I convinced the World Security Council we needed a quantum surgeon threat analysis. For once we're way ahead of the curve."

"By holding a gun at everyone on Earth and calling it protection." Steve still avoiding Fury's look.

"You know, I read those SSR files. Greatest generation? You guys did some nasty stuff."

"Yeah, we compromised."

"Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so that people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear."

"Shield takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. It's getting damn near past time for you to get with the program, Cap."

"...Don't hold your breath." Steve said grabbing Caroline's arm as they both walked away. They walked into the elevator and pushed the button for it to go up.

Once inside the elevator, Steve sighs and closes his eyes. Caroline snakes her arms around Steve's waist and stays there until she cups his cheeks.

"How about we go somewhere special?" Her soft tone said calming Steve with her touch.
_________________

"A symbol to the nation. A hero to the world."

Caroline and Steve held their hands while they walked through the Smithsonian that was dedicated of course to Captain America. They were of course wearing disguises with caps and having their heads low.

"The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery, and sacrifice."

The two walked over to the exhibition,

"Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare."

Caroline strayed away from Steve and wandered to the pictures of the wall that showed pre-serum Steve and post-serum Steve. Caroline loved Steve all the same, even if he was Captain America. She smiled before turning to Steve.

"One that would transform him into the world's first super soldier."

A little boy in a blue shirt with Captain America's shield on it, Steve put a finger to his lips before the boy nodded and they both walked away.

"Battle tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission, taking down Hydra, the Nazi rogue science division."

The two looked at the Howling Commandos uniforms on mannequins before turning to the glass display that held their best friend, Bucky's information. Steve and Caroline rarely talked about Bucky, not wanting to open a wound that wasn't done healing. Caroline never wanted to push him on the subject sensing that it would bring up memories for both of them.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable."

They both walked closer and looked at the footage of them laughing together.

"Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give up his life in service of his country."

They left the glass display and walked into a small, dark room which played some more old footage from a projector of Caroline with much shorter hair.

"That was a difficult winter. A blizzard had trapped half out battalion behind the German line. Captain Rogers fought his way through a Hydra blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life. "

Caroline squeezed Steve's hand knowing it was hard for him to watch the footage of what Caroline felt back then. Steve got out of his pocket a golden object and once it was opened up it had a picture of Caroline inside.

"You still have that?"

"Never would let it go." He kissed the side of her head before Caroline whispered something into his ear.

"I have to take you somewhere," Caroline spoke to him and he looked up and nodded at her as they both stood up and left the Smithsonian.

She got on the back of his motorcycle and wrapped her arms around his waist. He started driving while Caroline told him the directions.

______________________

"Sweetheart, it's so nice to see you again." an old Peggy muttered seeing Caroline and Steve walk into the room.

Peggy's hand rested on her stomach, with the biggest smile on her face. The two of them walked over to the bed and pulled two chairs sitting on them.

Caroline would on occasions visit Peggy, Peggy would always comment on Steve, and one day she said that Steve would be attracted to Caroline's sweet and sometimes sharp personality even till today.

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Steve, Steve Rogers," Caroline tenderly spoke hoping it would jog some of Peggy's memory.

"Hello dear." Peggy responded

"Hello, ma'am. How are you doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm old." Peggy laughed , causing Caroline and Steve to smile.

A minute passed, "Steve? Oh! How are you? It is so nice to see you again," Peggy almost cried

"Hi, Peggy. It's nice to see you again, too."

"What is it?" Peggy asked him.

"For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I'm not quite sure what that is any more. And I thought I could throw myself back in and follow orders. Serve..." he smiled, "It's just not the same."

Peggy tells him, "You're so dramatic, Look, you saved the world. We rather....mucked it up."

"You didn't"

Peggy takes Steve's hand," The world has changed.. and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best that we can do is start over-"

Peggy started to cough, and Caroline instantly stood up and gave her a glass of water. She handed it to Steve an he bent down," Here"

Opening her eyes once again, Peggy just stares at Steve.

"Steve?"

"Yeah."

"Wha- you're alive!" she stares at him in shock, and starts to cry.

"Yeah, Peggy"

"It's been so long...So long."

Steve starts to smile, but it leaves as fast as it came.

"I always knew you two would be a good couple." Peggy points at both of them.