Bullet in Her Daddy's Gun

Chapter 13

A/N - We've come to the end! Oh my god! I thought I would never finish this book. I'll be posting a summary and title of the next fic right after this one is finished!

"He's alive?" Madison felt like the sky had opened up and the sun was shining down on her after months of heavy rain.

"Yep, laying here in a hospital bed. He'd probably feel a lot better if you were here", Sam told her.

"I...I didn't think he'd want to see me", she said, truthfully.

"Look, I don't know exactly how things went down, but he cares about you".

Madison sighed. "Okay, I'm on my way". When she got to the hospital, Steve's room was being guarded by armed men. "Agent Madison Barton", she told them.

"Barton?" the guard asked, "Hawkeye's daughter?"

Madison nodded.

"Go on".

"Thank you". She entered the room.

Steve was sitting up in bed watching the telecast of Natasha talking to the nation's leaders. He muted it when he noticed her. He still had some bruises on his face, but the cuts were already healing. "Hey", he said.

"Hey", Madison echoed. She sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"Sam call you?" he asked.

Madison nodded. "I'm glad you're okay".

There was an awkward silence. What did you say to the man who broke up with you while you thought he was dying?

"Look Madison..."

Madison shook her head, not wanting to hear excuses. "You still love Peggy. I know that. You're never going to stop loving her. I realize that now. Maybe I was the first woman who had shown you affection since you came out of the ice and that's why you latched onto me. I know I latched onto you because you were sweet and comforted me in my time of need".

"I did love you Madison. I promise you that. But I can't give you what you want".

"You don't know what I want".

"I know you want someone who will love you with everything in their being. Someone who wants to get married and have a family. I don't want to take that dream away from you".

"So that's it then?"

Steve nodded. "I'm sorry. But yes".

Madison nodded her head, sniffling.

A few days later, they stood in a cemetery.

Fury asked them to meet him there.

"Where's Natasha?" Steve asked Madison.

Madison just shrugged. Natasha was like her father. She could never keep up with where they were.

"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before", Fury said to Steve.

"You get used to it".

"We've been data mining HYDRA's files. Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship. I'm headed to Europe tonight. Wanted to ask if you'd come".

"There's something I gotta do first".

"How about you, Wilson? Could use a man with your abilities".

Sam looked at Steve before giving Fury his answer. "I'm more of a soldier than a spy".

"Madison?"

"I could use a change in scenery", Madison told him.

"All right, then". Fury shook Steve and Sam's hands. "Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me, right here", Fury said, nodding to the gravestone.

"You should be honored. That's about as close as he gets to saying thank you", Natasha said walking up.

"I'll send a car by later", Fury told Madison and walked off.

"Not going with him?" Steve asked Natasha.

"No", Natasha said shaking her head.

"Not staying here".

"Nah. I blew all my covers. I gotta go figure out a new one".

"That might take a while".

"I'm counting on it", she said, smiling at him, "That thing you asked for...I called in a few favors from Kiev". Natasha handed him a file. She leaned up and kissed Steve on the cheek. "Be careful, Steve. You might not want to pull on that thread", she told him before walking over to Madison. Natasha wrapped her arms around the young woman. "You going or staying?"

"Going with Fury. Don't really feel like going back to Brooklyn just yet".

Natasha pulled away and took Madison's hands in her own. "Be careful, Baby Bird".

"I will".

"And call your father the first chance you get".

Madison laughed and said, "Yes mother".

Natasha kissed her forehead and said, "Bye Baby Bird".

"Bye Tasha".

Natasha gave her hands a light squeeze before she walked away.

"You know, you don't have to leave because of me", Steve told her.

"I'm not leaving because of you. I'd like to think of it as a journey to self-discovery. I need to find out why I have these powers. Maybe how to use them, so the next time we have a crisis I can actually help".

"When will I see you again?"

"I don't know. But you have my number in case anything happens".

"Then this is goodbye".

Madison smiled sadly. "For now". Madison placed her hands on his chest and leaned up to kiss him one last time. She pulled back and said, "Goodbye Steve".

"Goodbye Madison".

Title reveal of the fourth book and summary coming up next!