New Avenger (A Steve Rogers love story)

Alexander Pierce

Steve and I had changed before heading up to be debriefed. Steve wore his Captain America suit and had his shield. I wore a catsuit, which had been replaced since my last fight. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail and I had one of my thigh holsters on my right leg, a standard SHIELD sidearm in it. My left arm was still in a sling, of course.

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

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

"Neighbor." Steve deadpanned. 

I looked to her and nodded, mouthing the word thank you.

"Oh, Captain. Monroe. 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 Pierce's office. Steve took his shield off and leaned it against the wall to the left of the door. 

Pierce looked me up and down and smiled softly. "I'm glad to see you are back on your feet, although isn't it a little soon?" 

I shook my head. "Maybe, but I think I'm needed at the moment."

Pierce nodded, then handed Steve a picture. It was a picture of Pierce and Fury holding their hands up like they were swearing an oath. 

"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 manila folder onto the table, Steve placing the photo next to it as he also sat down. I sat carefully, relaxing.

"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."

"Did you know it was bugged?" Pierce asked, looking between us.

"We did, because Nick told us." 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 behind him and pulled up a video. "I want you to see something."

On the screen, Batroc was being interrogated. "Who hired you, Batroc?" an interrogator asked as he walked behind him.

"Is that live?" Steve asked.

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

"Are you saying he's a suspect?" I asked.