New Avenger (A Steve Rogers love story)

Alexander Pierce

The above picture is the outfit Alexx wears in this chapter, but her hair is a dark brown, instead of blonde.

Steve and I had changed before heading up to be questioned. Steve wore his Captain America suit and had his shield. I wore all black; tank top, pants, belt, boots, fingerless gloves, jacket, even socks. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail and I had the weapons I was allowed to have; my knives and Deagles, with a pouch strapped to my thigh. My left arm was still in a sling, as my shoulder was still healing.

We rounded the corner toward the office. Kate--or Sharon Carter--was speaking with the man who wanted us. She turned toward us as their conversation ended and looked at Steve, surprised.

"Captain Rogers. Agent Summers." she said as she walked past us.

"Neighbor." Steve deadpanned. I didn't say a word.

"Oh, Captain. Summers. I'm Alexander Pierce." The man Sharon was speaking with shook Steve's hand as he introduced himself.

"Sir, it's an honor." Steve replied.

"The honor's mine, Captain." Pierce shook my hand, and as he did, my gut felt odd, like it did whenever I was around Rumlow. "My father served in the 101st. Come on in."

Steve and I walked into the office. Steve took his shield off and leaned it against a wall by the door. Pierce handed Steve a picture. It was a picture of Pierce and Fury holding their hands up like they were swearing an oath. I pulled out one of many packages of peanut M&M's from the pouch on my thigh and opened it, popping a few in my mouth.

"That photo was taken five years after Nick and I met, when I was at State Department in Bogota. ELN rebels took the embassy, as security got me out, but the rebels took hostages." Pierce moved around the room as he spoke. "Nick was Deputy Chief of the SHIELD station there, and he comes to me with a plan. He wants to storm the building through the sewers. I said, 'No, we'll negotiate.' Turned out the ELN didn't negotiate, so they put out a kill order. They stormed the basement, and what do they find? They find it empty."

Pierce sat down in one of three chairs surrounding a coffee table. As he sat down he placed a folder onto the table, Steve placing the photo next to it as he sat down. I sat too...well, more like perched on the arm.

"Nick had ignored my direct order, and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil, and saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including my daughter." Pierce continued.

"So you gave him a promotion." Steve said.

"I've never had any cause to regret it." Pierce paused for a moment. "Captain, why was Nick in your apartment last night?"

Steve shook his head. "I don't know."

I shifted my position, accidentally hurting my shoulder. I winced for a moment then it was fine.

Weird. Pain is just weird.

"Did you know it was bugged?" Pierce asked.

"I did, because Nick told me." Steve answered.

"Did he tell you he was the one who bugged it?"

Steve didn't seem happy with what Pierce had said, but Pierce seemed satisfied. He turned to a large monitor hanging on the wall and pulled up a video. "I want you to see something."

In the video, Batroc was being interrogated. "Who hired you, Batroc?" an interrogator asked as he walked behind Batroc.

"Is that live?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, they picked him up last night in a not-so-safe house in Algiers." Pierce replied.

I popped a few more M&M's into my mouth.