"A lot of times freedom doesn't mean being free. It is not a right, but a choice. Anyone can be free if they want to. Telling someone to be free is taking away their choice to be free. You don't take away decisions."
A story in which Lilly Richards...
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Later that evening, Lilly received a call from Daniel. "Yes?" "Hey, you," "Hi," "Got any plans tonight?" Lilly paused for a second. "No, why?" "Now you have. Meet me in front of your apartment. I'll pick you up in 5." With that he ended a call.
Lilly shrugged and stood up from her bed. She walked to her closet and searched for clothes she's going to put on. She looked at her dresses. Little black dress is always a go to when nothin else fits. She put it on and checked herself out. She needs to find herself a boyfriend. Someone she'll care for and someone that will care for her. She walked out of her room. She locked the door and left the apartment.
Daniel was waiting for her as promised. She got into a car beside him. "You look nice," Daniel said and started engine. "Where are we going?" "Bar."
——— later at the bar ———
"Cheers!" All of them exclaimed as they clunk their glasses together. Lilly needed this. She needed her friends around her. She sipped on her red wine.
Her thoughts went somewhere else. She was thinking about him, again. No, Lilly, this is never going to happen. Stop. She tried to shake off her thoughts, but she was not successful.
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She shook a little. "Hey,... It's me," Daniel said, gripping on her shoulder. "Daniel, don't ever scare me like this." He laughed and sat beside her, letting her hand fall to his sides. "Steve?" She looked into her glass of wine. Daniel sighed. She rubbed her back with one hand. "Don't think about this. It'll get easier." She smiled at him. "I know," she said and looked at him.
She wanted to get up from her chair, as her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. Natasha Romanoff. "I'll be right after you," she said to Daniel and went outside.
"Nat? What's the problem?" "Fury. Come to the hospital." "Nat?" Without second question she ended the call.
——— at the hospital ———
Lilly was running through the corridor. Her feet were burning as much as they could. Her eyes were teary and red.
She noticed Steve and Nat standing near the wall, both of them looking in one direction. Through the glass. "Guys!" Lilly screamed. None of them turned.
She stopped next to Steve as she looked in the same way. The doctors were operating on Fury. She put her hand on her mouth.
"Is he gonna make it?" "I don't know," Steve replied to Nat. "Tell me about the shooter." "He's fast and strong. Had a metal arm." Just then Agent Hill also joined them. "Ballistics?" Nat asked Agent Hill. "Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable." "Soviet-made." Nat added. "Yeah," answered her Maria. Suddenly all of them watched intently as doctors were talking to each other.
Steve placed his hand on top of Lilly's. She looked down at it and then at Steve. He had his eyes glued to the glass. All of them saw a flat line. They used defibrillator more than once, trying to bring him back to life. "Not today," Lilly said silently.
As doctors tried and revive Fury, but failed they wrote down the time of death. Steve walked away and Lilly followed him. She noticed him looking down at his hand. He held something in it. He sensed Lilly's gaze and turned it's hand into a fist. He looked at her. She had worry written all over her face.
Later all of them were standing where Fury was. Steve leaning on the wall and Nat standing beside him. Maria was going inside as she notice Lilly outside of the room. "You're not going in?" "No." With that Maria entered the room.
Lilly was staring at her feet. Even though they didn't get along often, she cared for him. She lost Phil and now Fury? She sighed and decided to go away.
She was strolling down the corridor for a while. She sat on a chair that was empty. She sighed once more and leaned back. Her head was aching. She looked up at the ceiling. "Tough time?" She heard a voice say. She slowly let her head down. She saw Nat standing in front of her. "Nat, I—" "it's okay," Nat said and pulled her into a hug. They were standing like this for awhile. "I miss him," Lilly said. Nat rubbed her back as she said "so do I."
——— sometime later ———
Lilly was walking down the hospital corridor, still comprehending what happened here. "He won't be easily forgotten," Daniel said next to her. "No he won't." They all looked at the room Fury was in, now left completely empty. "He was laying in here. I watched him as he died. Just like Phil." Daniel looked at her and the room. He sighed. "He's in a better place now," Daniel said. "Better place? He was supposed to be here, tormenting us with his genius secrecy and giving us tough missions, not being somewhere in heaven drinking Vodka and laying on the beach!" Daniel was surprised at her outburst. "Jeez, relax woman," he said and lightly lifted his hands in defense.
"Don't tell me sweet little stories, Daniel," she said after a long pause. "They don't exist in a world full of lies and traitors and murderers." With that she turned to walk away and bumped into Steve, who was leaving a closet with Nat. "Sorry," she said and looked up. "What are you guys doing here?" Nat looked at Steve. He opened his mouth in order to say something but decided not to so he pulled Lilly along. "We'll tell you on our way to the mall."
Lilly was confused. She broke free of his grasp. "Not until you tell me what is going on!" She stood her ground. "We weren't doing what you think we were." Nat said to her. Lilly looked back and forth between them. "I don't care." She does.
After a few seconds, Steve placed his hands on his hips. "Nat, start the car, me and Lilly will come after you," he said and Nat left them alone. Lilly watched her as she was disappearing in the distance. "Eyes on me, Richards," Steve said. She looked at him. "We need your help. I didn't want to drag you into this, but—" "but you did." She finished his sentence.
"Listen, if you decide to come with us, you're on the run. But if you decide to turn around and go through other door, you're going to be fine." He said coming closer to her. He grabbed her by the arms with both of his hands. "Now as much as I prefer the second option, I'd rather hear you choose the first one," he said. "Steve,..." He didn't break eye contact. She wanted to say that she doesn't want to be involved in this, but someone has to avenger Fury. And that someone has to be her.
