Author's note: so this is certainly not my first Captain America fic. I've got a couple up already. But since seeing The Winter Soldier, I definitely felt like doing something a bit different. So, please read on and let me know what you think!

SPOILER WARNING! If you haven't seen the Winter Soldier, you might not want to read this.

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own anything doing with the rights of Captain America or any of the characters in the Marvel Universe, but goodness, I wish I did! I'm just borrowing them for a bit for my own (and maybe a few readers) enjoyment.

Hide & Seek

Captain Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson watched as Natasha Romanoff walked away. They were still standing at Nick Fury's gravesite.

"So, Cap, what's our move?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure how much of an enemy I am, Sam. SHIELD's gone dark; there's no help from them."

Steve was trying to formulate a plan in his head, but he had nothing. Natasha had given him all the information that she could get on Bucky, so his first step was to read through it and see what had happened to his friend.

Sam put on his sunglasses and scanned the area. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't being watched.

"I think we should get out of here. Too open. Especially with Hydra…"

Steve nodded.

As they made their way back to the hole-in-the-wall motel, they were camped out in, Natasha's words bounced around in his mind. She wanted him to ask Sharon out on a date. Why? Why did that matter now?

"You're a quiet dude, Cap, but you're totally silent now. What's on your mind?" Sam asked.

Steve hesitated. It probably wasn't the big deal he was making into. But despite everything, he couldn't get it off of his mind.

"It's nothing…"

"Come on. I know we haven't known each other that long, but you can talk to me."

Steve shook his head. "Why would Natasha make me promise to ask that Sharon out?" Steve asked. "Why now?"

It wasn't what Sam expected, but he went with it.

"Maybe she thinks it would help you relax?"

"I don't think so."

"Maybe this Sharon has some kind of clue or some information you could use?" Sam asked. "Is she cute?"

Steve didn't reply. Sharon wasn't cute; she was beautiful. And she reminded him of someone.

"I will take you silence as a yes," Sam laughed.

He pulled the car into the motel's parking lot and cut the engine. They'd each gotten a room there a few days ago, when Steve was released from the hospital. It wasn't a nice place, but it was just outside DC, so its location was good.

"I need to see Peggy before we go anywhere," Steve said. "I'm not sure…"

"Who's Peggy?"

"She is…was…"

"Oh," Sam said. "Your girl," he said.

"She's the best," Steve said.

"Where is she?" Sam asked. "I'll take you out there."

"No, I should go alone," Steve said. "But thank you."

"I'll stay here and hold down the fort, then," Sam said, understanding this need.

Steve nodded and got into the driver's seat of the car and waited for Sam to get into his room safely.

It was then that Steve turned the car on and began the familiar trip.

He'd been going to see Peggy since he'd been taken out of the ice. Well, at first, he just waited outside her house. It had taken a month for him to work up the nerve to knock on the door.

Her nurse, Lara, was a middle aged woman and knew exactly who he was and why he was there before he'd even uttered a word. She'd pulled him by the wrist into the house with an enormous smile on her face.

As he waited for Peggy to make herself presentable that first day, he looked all around at the pictures. There were pictures all over the place.

Peggy had been married, to one of the men he'd helped save during the war and they'd had five children of their own. And they'd had a bunch of children. And now those children were having children.

There were pictures of her husband with her and the Starks – including a very young Tony. Steve smiled and wondered if he knew this one existed.

Before he could move on to the extended family, he was ushered up to Peggy's room. And sure, 70 years had passed and Peggy was now older and frail and had some health issues, she was still the woman he'd fallen in love with. And she still looked at him with the same dark eyes.

Over the last couple of months, she had deteriorated further. She couldn't remember the same way she had, even a few weeks ago.

Steve wasn't sure what he was going to tell Peggy. The organization that she'd helped create was Hydra. And it had been infiltrated from day one. Her other best friend, Howard Stark, had been killed by the operatives within SHIELD. And to top it all off, Bucky was still alive, but he was working for Hydra, too, and had been for years.

It only took twenty minutes to get to Peggy Carter's house from their secret locale versus his apartment in downtown DC that almost made it an hour. And when he parked the car in the driveway, he was still totally undecided on what he would tell her.

Steve quietly climbed out of the car and walked up to the front door. He heard singing inside – something that he'd never heard before here – as he stood and knocked.

He knocked twice and he heard a soft 'be right there' in response.

The door opened a moment later and the person standing there blew his mind. It was a person he'd been thinking about, but hadn't expected to see. He simply stared at her and she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again immediately. It was Sharon. The not-nurse. She was a brunette now, but it was definitely Sharon. And she looked a hell of a lot less friendly this time.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked.

"Um, come in," Sharon said.

She backed into the room and gave Steve some space.

"Um, hello, Captain."

"Neighbor," he replied in a much softer tone that he'd used previously with her. Despite the lies she'd used against him, he'd heard that Sharon had given Rumlow a run for his money when he was trying to launch the Project Insight helicarriers. But it didn't totally absolve her.

"Sharon," she corrected him.

"What are you doing here, Sharon?" he asked again.

"I could ask you the same thing, Captain," she replied. "And I have a feeling that my reasoning will trump yours," she said in a challenge.

He couldn't help but smile. Something about the competitiveness attracted him. But then Steve mentally shook himself; he'd come here to see Peggy, not flirt.

"Ladies first," he nodded.

"Fine," she hissed. "I'm staying with my aunt," she told him.

Steve was confused for a split second.

"Peggy is your aunt?" Steve asked.

"Well, great aunt, but…yeah."

"So you're carrying on the SHIELD tradition?"

"I was carrying on the SHIELD tradition. SHIELD doesn't exist anymore. Fury's dead," she said with a sarcastic tone that said that she knew the truth about Fury. "But she doesn't know, Captain Rogers. And that's why I'm here. Just until the private security comes, then…"

"Private security," he blinked.

"Captain, you know as well as I do that Hydra took credit for the deaths of some of the highest of the high-ups in SHIELD, dating all the way back to Howard and Maria Stark…" Sharon said in a quiet voice. "And while Aunt Peggy doesn't remember much anymore, Hydra also knows that she not only helped found SHIELD, but means a hell of a lot to you."

This wasn't the woman he'd met in the hallway a few months ago. Gone was the shy, giggling blond girl was gone and this woman was so much more like her aunt. Steve was fascinated and wanted to ask a lot more questions, but they were joined in the living room before he could say anything.

"Captain Rogers!" Lara smiled. She rushed over to him from the doorway from the other room and threw her arms around him in a hug. He embraced her in an awkward hug while his eyes didn't leave Sharon.

"Sharon! You should have said something! Can I get you a drink or a snack, Captain? Are you feeling all right? I've seen the news, awful…" the woman rapid-fired at him.

"Sorry, Lara. The Captain and I were talking and I guess I forgot to say something…"

"You're always forgetting, young lady," Lara said with a snide tone. "Like, forgetting to pay your rent so you have to come stay here with your aunt…"

Steve eyed Sharon cautiously. That was the story? This woman didn't know she worked for SHIELD. So how was she going to explain private security?

"Captain, let's go see Peggy," Lara said as she took Steve by the wrist. "Sharon, you need to finish the dusting…."

"Of course, Lara," Sharon said to Lara and Steve's back as the two of them headed for the stairs.

Steve tossed Sharon one last look over his shoulder and met her eyes. He was hoping she was going to be around when he left for the day. There were a few more things he wanted to talk to Sharon about.

…

Author's note: So what do you think? Should I continue with this story? Or should I leave this route alone? Let me know! Thanks for reading!