stevebucky - hiraeth

2. Things Are Different Now

The first thing people always said when they saw Sharon Carter was "Oh, you're Peggy's niece!"

It was a blessing and a curse. 

The name gave her a reputation, a legacy. It made people respect her.

It made people trust her.

And Sharon worked for the CIA, something that didn't exactly scream "trust me!!!" But she made it work. Just a few kind words, a smile, a reassuring pat, and she could worm her way in.

Like Captain America. Now there was an easy way in. A very oblivious idiot, confused by the entire world, trying to figure out his life. Also struggling with compulsive heterosexuality, always a bonus.

It took a couple weeks and she had him under her thumb. 

The split of the avengers gave her an even better chance to get in- she managed to kiss him! It was terrible, especially since his boyfriend he wasn't aware he had was glaring at them the whole time and looked about to kill her.

She told them she had been fired. She was surprised they hadn't been suspicious at any time, especially she had been revealed as a double agent during the Triskelion disaster.  

She hadn't stopped. She had let Steve and Mr. America go with the intention of finding them again. 

                                                                              -

"How are we looking?" Sharon said loudly, heels clicking on the linoleum floor of the large control room. They had access to hundreds of satellites, but they still hadn't been able to find Steve.

"Still nothing." a nervous intern said.

"This doesn't make any sense. Something's up." Sharon growled. "We should have found him by now."

"Actually," the same intern whispered. Sharon whirled, her eyes fierce. "Yes?"

"I think someone is blocking the feed."

"Who?"

"Um..." The intern pressed a button. "This should tell us-"

Rock music blared out of nowhere, aggravating and endless. Sharon felt a wave of rage rise in her.

                                                                              -

"Tony."

Tony concentrated on his projection, moving pieces with his hands. 

"Earth to Tones."

Tony zoomed in, squinting.

"Tony Stank, pay forking attention."

Tony continued to ignore him, and a bagel hit him in the back of the head.

He turned. "Yes, Rhodey?" he said sweetly.

James Rhodes glared at him, but there was a smile at the edge of his lips. "There's a lady here. One Sharon Carter."

"She sounds familiar," Tony said slowly. "Let's see. Uh, Met Gala? Grammys? Something sciencey?"

"Former S.H.I.E.L.D. and CIA agent, actually." Sharon said evenly, stepping out from behind Rhodes.  

"Oh, you know Steve!" Tony laughed, pointing at her. "You his girlfriend or something?"

"I thought he was dating that assassin guy." Rhodes muttered. Sharon's eye twitched and she hoped no one noticed.

"You could call us that." she decided on saying. 

"So, what's up?"

"Well, unless you drank too much and forgot, you kind of had a falling-out. With Steve, and the others."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Have you spoken to him since?"

"No. He left me a phone, though."

"Really."

"Yep!"

"So you haven't talked to him. Then why are you blocking satellite feeds that might reveal his location?" 

Tony turned back to his projection. "So much for being a former CIA agent."

"So I lied," Sharon said, knowing her façade was already fading. 

"You really want to find him, huh."

"I-" Sharon quickly faked some tears and a voice crack. "He's just really important to me. I want to find him."

"Is he."

"He is." Sharon sniffed heavily, wiping her eyes.

"Interesting. Can I talk to my Rhodey for a minute?"

Sharon nodded, and Tony pulled James into a side room, closing the door carefully.

"Seriously, Stank? 'My Rhodey'?" Rhodes scoffed.

"I will never apologize for that." Tony waved it off. "And what's up with Heart of Stone over there?"

"Clearly she's lying. She's already lied." Rhodes said.

"She wants to get to Capsicle, but does she actually care about him?" Tony gave his friend a meaningful look. 

"Tones, let's be honest. You blocked the satellites because you don't want to deal with Rogers right now."

Tony sighed. "Rhodes, it's times like this when-"

"Tony."

"Fine. I don't want to look at his stupidly perfect face, because he tried to whack me to death with his dinner plate of freedom. You happy?"

Rhodes shrugged. "I mean, I'm satisfied that you answered. Proud of you, even."

"I feel so fulfilled now." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Listen. If she goes rogue on us, we'll just throw some metal iron man stuff at her, I can do my war machine thing, and-"

"Let me guess, you say your catchphrase."

"I don't- what? Since when have I had a catchphrase?"

"Since forever."

"I don't have a catchphrase."

"So why'd you keep saying that one thing at the party?"

"You mean-" Rhodes groaned. "'Boom, you looking for this?' is not a catchphrase."

"Keep telling yourself that," Tony laughed, patting Rhodes on the arm. They went back into the lab, where Sharon Carter was waiting patiently.

"So?" she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Let's make a pact. I'll get you into the satellites, but you need to let me be a part of the search and what comes after. We may not be friends, but we still have a history. Maybe not as much as he has with Barnes, but we punched some bad guys together. That's worth something, right?"

Sharon considered it, then took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do this."