Her Prisoner

Chapter 15

The sun has been long up when agent Hill rings up the landline in the apartment to let him know she is waiting downstairs.

She says she came late because he might have wanted to have proper rest. Natasha would have known he did not sleep half of the night, he thinks. She always knows.

The ride to SHIELD's headquarters is silent. He is already thinking about when he will see Natasha.

Once inside the building, agent Hill tells him that he is free to go wherever he wants, like the gym, the swimming pool and the other facilities; or he can go and consult the archives should he want to find anyone from his past.

Somehow, he can only think about that one person from the present.

"How about N...Romanoff?" he asks. "Where is she?"

Agent Hill remains collected. "I'm afraid this is classified, Captain Rogers."

He frowns. "What do you mean classified? She came here with me. We arrived together. I should know what is going on."

Hill nods with an understanding look and clears her throat while slightly shaking her head. She is not going to yield, he can tell.

"Thank you, Agent Hill. I'll take it from here," Fury calls from the door. Steve looks daggers at him

She readily welcomes his instructions and departs the room. Fury calmly walks in under the close and distrustful look of the guest.

"Where is she?" he asks again. "When can I see her?"

Fury takes a deep breath in, stalling. "You can't. And yesterday you would have received a completely different answer."

"Why? What happened?" Steve asks.

"She tried to escape early this morning."

Steve probes him. "Can you blame her? I saw the way you treated her yesterday, like..."

"Like a criminal, Captain. You might want to keep that in mind," Fury cuts him in. "As for your questionable sympathy, I do not share it. She knocked down four of my agents, two of which are in the infirmary with broken bones."

Steve looks away and sighs. He folds his arms over his chest. "She would have done worse if her true intention was to harm them," he mutters.

"Well her dubious methods clearly serve dubious intentions. Security has been reinforced."

"What does it mean?"

"The Black Widow has been put in confinement until her hearing next week. She cannot see anyone, let alone receive visitors."

His pupils quiver and he feels a sudden surge of panic from what remains a recent trauma of his own. He looks Fury steadily in the eyes.

"You can't keep her locked up in a cage like an animal. Nobody deserves this."

Fury is imperturbable. "I understand why you would personally feel strongly against it — I really do, Captain. But it is my responsibility to keep everybody safe. She remains in confinement for now."

But how long is now?

The days go by at a slow pace. His days mostly consist of trying to pass the time with various activities. He goes to the gym a lot to let off steam. He reads his old companions' files over and over. He cannot see Peggy yet — she is currently in London, but her family said she would come to the US soon for a visit. But it is not until a couple of months.

He goes to New York for a couple of days and treads the streets he trod 70 years ago. He walks around Brooklyn and soon, around the corner, finds his home. He eventually musters the courage to knock on the door of the apartment and asks if he can have a quick look. The new lodger agrees. But nothing is the same anymore. The walls have been painted again and the carpentry has been changed. Even the creaking floor no longer creaks under his foot: it has been replaced too. He comes out sooner than he expected. He would rather look at it from the sidewalk — at least from there, it looks the same as he remembers.