𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 | 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

The Ghost

Sam placed a cup of coffee in front of Chloe at the kitchen table. "I make mine really sweet, I don't know about you..." He spoke quietly as he moved around the table.

Chloe's eyes followed him until he saw down across her. "It's fine," she mumbled and grabbed the cup.

Sam watched her drink and let her take that moment that she needed for her own sake. He had only heard bits and pieces about what the last few days had been like and it all sounded like a true nightmare.

Chloe put down the cup on the table, licking her lips anxiously. The Hive Mind had not stopped buzzing and she was running out of strategies to ignore them. "They found me, Sam," she said abruptly.

Sam raised a brow at her. "They—?"

"The Ghost — Hydra, I guess, since that's what they've announced their name to be. And I guess they never 'lost' me, so they technically didn't have to find me either," Chloe continued, gaze glued on her cup. "They always knew about me. They were just waiting for me to finish cooking like a damn turkey. The oven dinged, and now I'm ready for the taking."

"Because they want that Hive Mind of yours," Sam said, recalling their last conversation just before things went haywire. Chloe nodded. "And you keeping everything a secret worked out well for you?"

Chloe finally lifted her gaze up, and it was only to deadpan Sam who couldn't be more proud of himself.

"Shut up—"

"Hey," Sam raised his hands in front of him. "Sometimes we learn the hard way, even when we're all grown up."

Chloe rolled her eyes. She really was not looking for a lecture right now. "My best friend landed in the hospital because I wasn't looking and now we're all being hunted like criminals. I know Steve is gonna go crazy trying to help me out while also mentally freaking out that he hasn't protected Seren well — even though that's bullshit — and Seren and Natasha are gonna do everything they can, including risking their lives, to help me out. It might be easier to just let HYDRA take me or kill myself."

"That's selfish, Winters," Natasha said on her way into the kitchen. Chloe and Sam looked over just as she stopped in the middle of the table and swiped an apple off the fruit basket. "Not everything is about you." She bit into the apple, raising an eyebrow at Chloe to challenge her to argue.

"Natasha, seriously," Chloe sounded like she was going to beg to be taken serious.

"You think this is all about you?" Natasha continued like nothing. "HYDRA existed before you and I were even born, before Seren was born. Steve's been dealing with them way before any of us. I'm sure HYDRA has a bit of resentment towards him that they would love to take out on him. Seren's abilities make her a valuable asset and you really think HYDRA doesn't know that? I'm sure they've been waiting for an opportunity and now is a good one as ever. So, you think this is all about you?"

Chloe resembled a child the way she ducked her face. Natasha smirked; the point had gotten through.

"Is that bacon?" Natasha asked Sam about the pan on the stove. He nodded and she went right to it.

When Chloe felt braver, which was a solid ten minutes later, she asked Natasha what she thought should be their next move. It was clear that she was way in over her head and the Hive Mind was just making her more of a liability at this point.

"Cover ourselves," Natasha said simply. "Right now, I'm sure me, Steve and Seren have become an outstanding problem and not just because we're in the way of your extraction." She grabbed the last piece of bacon on the pan and took a chunk of it into her mouth.