Little Situation

Chapter 7

 It was late when Sarah and Steve got home from seeing Peggy. They saw their neighbor with a load of laundry as she just got off the phone.

"You know you're welcome to use our machine. Least we could do for all your help."

"Oh, no problem. But I've already got a load in downstairs plus these scrubs have been to the infectious disease ward," she laughed as Steve held up his hands. "Oh, I think you guys left your speaker on."

"Oh, right. Thank you."

Steve waited till she walked away, telling Sarah to stay outside. They could both hear the jazz music coming from inside the house. Steve went back downstairs and snuck in through his window. He sighed when he saw it was Nick and stomped over to the door to open it for Sarah to come through.

"I don't remember giving you a key."

"You'd really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out."

"Didn't know you were married."

"A lot of things you don't know about me."

"Yeah, Nick. That's kind of the problem."

Steve went to turn on the lights and when he did both he and Sarah almost gasped at the sight of Nick. He held up a finger telling them both to be quiet before clicking off the lamp closest to him. Nick typed up something on his phone for Steve to read: Ears Everywhere.

Sarah screamed as the first few bullets stormed through the house and hit Nick. Steve threw her the shield while he dragged Nick to a safer spot towards the back of the apartment. Nick slipped something in Steve's hand.

"Don't trust anyone."

Steve looked over as the door clicked open.

"Captain Rogers."

Sarah and Steve looked in confusion as their neighbor came in with a handgun.

"Captain, Sarah. I'm Agent 13 of S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Service."

"Kate?"

"I'm assigned to protect you."

"On whose order?"

"His," Agent 13 said as she knelt over Nick's body.

She pulled out a walkie talkie. "Foxtrot is down. He's unresponsive. I need EMTs."

"Do we have the shooter in custody?" the dispatcher asked.

Steve took the shield from you. "Tell him I'm in pursuit."

Sarah watched her dad jump from the apartment building to the one across the street while she stayed with Agent 13 until they whisked Fury away to a hospital. Nat came bursting into the waiting room where Sarah and Steve were, watching them operate on Nick.

"Is he going to make it?"

"We don't know," Steve said.

"The shooter."

"He's fast. Strong. Had a metal arm."

Sarah tensed up. It didn't go unnoticed by Steve and Nat. Steve pulled Sarah in, cradling her head to keep her vision away from the window.

"You shouldn't be watching this."

He tried to shield Sarah even more as they tried to revive Nick, failing in the end. Steve told her to wait in the hall while he and Nat mourned. Maybe it was pointless but he didn't think she needed to add Nick to the alarmingly long list of people she has seen die in front of her. Sarah looked up when Nat stormed into the hall with Steve hot on her trail.